Counting on Forever
by kat5552
Summary: It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. The new dress and hairstyle had come last minute, but it was a needed change. This day was not going to be what it was supposed to be; it was going to be much harder. But she had her friends, her family, around her to support her, no matter what came their way. And she would never stop fighting for what she wants. NOW RATED T
1. Chapter 1

Counting on Forever Chapter 1

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. It had been almost eighteen months in the making. Lucy looked down at herself while she sat in front of her good friend, Cancer's, chair with a sigh. The dress and hairstyle change had been very last minute, chosen hardly one week before the date. This had not been how she planned to look on this day, but somehow it was still very fitting for how she was feeling.

"You look stunning," Cancer murmured quietly behind her as he finished with her hair. Lucy sighed softly again as she looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like she didn't even know who the person in the mirror was; she looked so different from her usual. She had had Cancer cut off her formerly long locks, shearing it to just beneath her chin. She tilted her head from one side to the other, taking in the change with somewhat wide eyes; her hair had NEVER been this short.

"It's perfect," Lucy whispered, her voice hiding some unknown emotion, "Thank you, Cancer." Cancer smiled softly at her before he removed the cloth he had draped around her to prevent the cut locks from getting on her dress.

"It was a pleasure, as always," Cancer said, twirling the scissors in his hand with his signature flare. Lucy smiled very slightly at this before she stood with yet another sigh, smoothing her dress down as she stepped away from the swiveling chair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked as she picked up her purse from the shelf underneath Cancer's worktable.

"Don't worry about it," Cancer said with a wave of his hand, "It is always nice to help out a friend." Lucy stared at him in shock before trying to splutter something about having taken up his time and needing to pay him for it. Cancer just waved his hand again before he shoved her out the front door. "You have places to be, baby," he said with a sad smile as he nodded at Lucy's driver, Capricorn. The other man took Lucy's new haircut in stride as he opened the passenger's side door for her to climb in.

"Was your visit with Cancer what you wanted it to be?" Capricorn asked after he had shut her door and made his way behind the wheel of the vehicle.

"Yes," Lucy said softly as she stared off into space. "When will we reach the church, Capricorn?"

"It will take about thirty minutes," Capricorn said as he maneuvered through traffic expertly.

"I'm…just going to rest until we get there. Please let me know when we are close," Lucy whispered.

"Yes ma'am," she heard Capricorn respond softly as she let her eyelids flutter closed. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, knowing how hard this day was going to be for her. Originally he and the others who worked with and for her had not wanted her to go, even her usually harsh editor Aquarius. Her poor personal assistant Aries had burst into tears when she had begged her to stay home, saying that it wasn't right and that she was sorry. Granted Aries usually apologized for every little thing, even when she did something right, but in this instance, everyone had understood why Aries was apologizing; they all felt the same way. He sighed soundlessly as he took the on ramp to the freeway. He would get to the church faster if he didn't use city streets. And besides…even if he didn't agree with what his mistress was doing…he would still do it for her.

They reached the church in record time, barely twenty minutes after they left Cancer's salon, due to Capricorn's excellent driving. Already he could see people milling around outside, including Lucy's friends Erza, Gray, and Levy; he had even spotted Mira and Lisanna hanging around somewhere closer to the doors of the church, surrounded by people. He almost breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing them. Surely they would be able to help Lucy through this day. He came rolling to a stop at the front of the church, watching Lucy through the corner of his eye as he had alerted her to their proximity to the church moments ago. Her eyes looked dead as she stared at the groups of people before the church. This was not how either of them had ever imagined this day going.

Before Capricorn could even make his way out of the car to get Lucy's door, Levy was there pulling it open. Lucy looked at her startled as Levy leaned into the car and embraced her, tears shining in her eyes.

"Oh Lu…" Levy said, hiccupping through her tears, "You cut off your hair." Despite the seat belt between them and the fact the car was quite a bit taller than her, Levy crushed herself to Lucy, knowing how much she would need support today. Lucy had been shocked at first, but then wrapped her arms around Levy in return, squeezing her tightly and wishing this day was going to go as planned, but knowing it wouldn't.

Once Levy felt she had hugged her friend enough, for the moment, she released her and stepped back out of the car so Lucy could unbuckle her seatbelt and get out. By then both Erza and Gray had reached her, as well as Gray's wife Juvia. Lucy looked at Gray with pain in her heart; he still looked awful, not fully recovered, even after six months back. He didn't smile at her, but instead stiffly nodded before looking down at his feet, his hands fisted around his crutches.

Juvia had smiled slightly at Lucy, complimenting her on her new, shorter hairstyle as well as the deep burgundy dress she wore while Erza brought Lucy in for an embrace, smashing Lucy's head against her chest, making Lucy grateful Erza was not wearing any body armor in that moment. Juvia then looked to her husband, struggling to meet Lucy's gaze. She sighed softly as she moved closer to him, squeezing his shoulder in support. Gray looked at her then, smiling softly at the love reflected in Juvia's eyes. Just as he was about to turn to Lucy, the pastor stepped out of the church to announce the ceremony was about to begin. Immediately everyone in their group stiffened before, as one, they made their way into the building, Lucy waving to Capricorn to let him know she was fine with her friends as he left.

Lucy couldn't help but stare around the church as she entered, Levy's arm wrapped tightly around her waist to provide support. Everyone she could see was wearing black and several people were sniffling and quite a few were even outright sobbing. She could not understand it and felt dazed as her group made their way to the front, where there were three rows of pews reserved for them. Levy helped Lucy sit in the very first row of pews, right next to Mira, then left her to sit a few rows behind her. Lucy thought this would happen since the reserved rows were for family only, and while Lucy felt Levy was her sister, she knew the other girl would not want to offend anyone.

"How are you holding up, Lucy?" a soft voice asked her. She turned her head slightly to see Mira looking at her, a small smile on her face as she held her three month old close to her chest. Lucy's heart clenched, hard, at the sight. This was a hard day for Mira, too.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Lucy replied, nodding towards Mira and her baby girl. Mira's eyes widened for a moment before she shut them and took a deep breath before opening them again. Lucy was not surprised to see the tears swimming in her beautiful blue eyes and felt guilty for having brought to mind why they were both there. In that moment, though, Lucy could not help but notice that Mira was not wearing black like everyone else. Instead she was wearing a bright, cheerful yellow, her daughter a dark purple. Lucy also shockingly realized in that moment that none of her friends were wearing black. Only people who had not known them were wearing black, making Lucy wonder who had even thought to put this together in the first place.

"This day is hard for me," Mira admitted, looking down at her daughter again and kissing the top of her sleeping head, "But I know it's harder for you. After all…whoever would have thought they would be attending a memorial service on what was supposed to be their wedding day?" Mira looked at her with sympathy filled eyes, even as a single tear made its way down her cheek.

Seeing the usually sweet, happy Mira cry, even just a single tear, seemed to break something in Lucy and she felt her own tears start to flow.

"It just isn't fair, Mira! Why did this have to happen to us? Why to them? What have we all ever done to deserve this!" she said, crying harder than she had in months as Mira shifted her baby to her left arm to wrap her right arm around the crying blonde. Lucy responded in kind, wrapping her left arm around Mira while the other went down to help support her daughter.

The church seemed to fall silent around them as the pastor made his way up to the pulpit, only the occasional sniffle breaking through. Mira and Lucy continued to hold one another as they silently cried, both asking the same questions in their minds over and over as the pastor started to speak.

"We are here today to celebrate the lives of two great men," the pastor began solemnly. "It is with terrible sadness that I come to speak before you today to remember them as they were. Today we are here to remember Laxus Dreyar and Natsu Dragneel, two great men who went missing in combat six months ago." Lucy felt a pang drive through her heart at hearing her fiancé's name, and she suddenly felt so suffocated she couldn't even breathe. She felt Mira stiffen against her, as well, at hearing her husband's name.

"Oh God Laxus," Mira whimpered, clutching both Lucy and her baby girl closer to her, her tears falling faster down her cheeks. Both women held each other as the pastor continued to drone on about their respective significant others, each word seeming to drive deeper into their hearts even more. It was just a dream, right? This couldn't really be happening to them…

When the pastor had finally finished talking, they heard the military band that had been asked to be there start up as people all around them stood up, ready to head to the cemetery where two headstones had been put up to commemorate both men. Lucy opened her eyes when she felt a cool hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Gray staring at both women, tears falling slowly down his cheeks. In that moment it physically hurt to look at the man she thought of as a brother. He had been there. With both Natsu and Laxus. He had been there with them; he was in the same unit. His uniform was just like the one she ironed for Natsu, the one she helped him straighten and perfect before official functions. It physically HURT to see him then, and she shut her eyes against the pain, wanting to shut out everything and everyone except for the woman she still clung to and who clung to her.

"Lucy I'm so sorry," Gray choked out, wavering on his crutches as he watched her squeezing her eyes shut against the pain he knew she was feeling. He was feeling a similar pain…Natsu had been his best friend for goodness' sake! Sure they fought like cats and dogs, but Gray still thought of Natsu as his best friend. They had grown up together. He had introduced Gray to Juvia, his beautiful wife of three years now, and he had never been more grateful to Natsu. Now he had to deal with this pain. He had been there with Laxus and Natsu. He knew he was at fault for their MIA status. He should have followed Natsu when he went off after their commander, Laxus, but he had been too messed up to even move. His injuries had almost killed him, more than once, in the days after the ambush that had taken away his friends. Even now he still struggled with getting around, still needing crutches even six months after the initial incident.

Lucy fought with herself to open her eyes and look Gray in the eye again. After a few moments, she did, and gasped at what she saw there. Despair, defeat…guilt; the man who was just like a brother to her looked utterly broken. But that wasn't right! It wasn't right! Gray shouldn't be looking at her like that, like he was to blame for all of this. She heard Mira gasp next to her as well as she took in Gray's expression. As one, both women stood and embraced Gray, Mira with one arm since the other still held her baby, all three of them breaking down emotionally before sinking to the ground. Gray's crutches clattered uselessly to the ground as they all embraced, forming a bizarre kind of circle.

All around them they knew were their friends and family, and then suddenly they felt more people embracing them. Lucy looked to her right and saw Juvia embracing both her and Gray, tears falling from her brilliant blue eyes. Then she turned to her left and saw both Elfman and Lisanna hugging Mira from behind, one of Lisanna's hands reaching out to touch Lucy's shoulder. She knew Levy was embracing her fully from behind while she saw Erza embracing both Gray and Mira on the opposite side of the circle from her, her ruby red hair hanging to cover her eyes.

As they all kneeled and sat on the floor holding one another, trying to just alleviate even an ounce of the pain each of them was in, an associate pastor came up behind them, clearing his throat rather imperiously.

"I'm so sorry ladies and gentlemen…but I must ask you to leave now. There is another ceremony taking place here today," he said, glaring down at Lucy in particular. She glared right back at him, knowing this was the jerk-off who had scheduled this memorial on what had previously been her wedding day. He was entirely too chipper telling them to vacate the premises.

"Excuse me," Erza said as she stood, straightening her military uniform as she glared at the man, causing him to gulp and take a step backwards, "But can't you see we are grieving? You, as a man of the church, should show more sympathy!" Her friends all smiled a bit as Erza advanced on the man, her anger terrible to behold but enough to lift them out of their seemingly endless depression.

"I…I'm s-sorry, miss!" the associate pastor gasped, taking another, rather frantic, step backwards, "But there is another ceremony taking place here and I…" Erza never let him finish his sentence as she punched him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards into one of the pews. She was breathing heavily as she lowered her arm back down to her side before she turned back to her friends, her _family_.

"We should be heading to the cemetery now…" Mira said in a soft voice, staring at each of her family members in turn. No longer could she only call them her friends truly had not since the beginning. They were family, now and forever. "I…I need to see it. The h-headstone they made for him. Even if I know he's not there…I still need to see it. M-Mavis needs to see it, too," she whispered, looking down at her and Laxus's daughter. She was so beautiful, so much like her mother. But as Mavis woke in that moment, revealing her eyes, Mira kissed her gently before she just stared into her husband's eyes in her daughter's face. Her eyes were an exact copy of his…their shape and blue-gray color exactly like his. She kissed her forehead again while Elfman helped his sister to stand.

All around them, everyone was beginning to stand. Lucy watched as Juvia helped Gray up, him leaning heavily on her, as Erza reached down and picked up his crutches. Behind her she felt Levy hauling both of them to their feet, Lucy swaying unsteadily on her heels for a moment. Once her balance was found again, she turned to all of her friends and walked out of the church with them, making their way around to the back where the cemetery was.

All of them had taken so long in the church that not a soul stood out back. Carefully they all traipsed through the cemetery, being careful not to tread on another's grave as they made their way about a half a mile away from the church itself. Two large, beautiful, black marble headstones lay on the grass. On the left was one for Laxus; on the right was one for Natsu. As Mira and Lucy approached their respective loves' headstones, Lucy fell to her knees while Mira slowly sank to the ground, being careful of little Mavis in her arms.

Lucy said nothing as she stared at Natsu's headstone, although she could hear Mira murmuring softly to Mavis only a few feet away. Behind them they could feel the stares of their family members, but out of respect no one approached them, letting them have their moments. After a while, Mira finally rose, sniffling as she made her way back to her brother and sister. A few quiet, murmured words later, Mira waved to everyone as the three made their way out of the cemetery, most likely heading home to grieve in private. Eventually Erza and Levy also left, both apologizing as they hugged Lucy but needing to head home. Erza had only gotten a babysitter for a few hours, and was nearing the end of her time limit, while Levy had to head to work. Lucy just nodded as they left, grateful for even an ounce of their support.

Lucy continued to just stare at the headstone in front of her even after almost everyone left. Her eyes kept tracing the words there. "In honor of Natsu Dragneel. A true and honorable friend. Missing in action January 7". She couldn't understand it. It didn't make sense.

"Baby why'd you leave me?" she whispered finally. "Why'd you have to go? I was counting on forever…now you're not here. They're all telling me you won't be coming back. That I should just give up on you, but Natsu, how do I do that? I love you! I can't just let you go! It's just not fair…" she started sobbing again as rain started to fall from what had been clear skies. Dark and ominous thunderclouds rolled overhead, lightning streaking across the sky as she let the rain drench her.

"Natsu, Natsu, what do I do?" she whispered, raising her face to the sky as she heard Gray's crutches approaching her. "Natsu today was the day you were supposed to marry me. We are supposed to spend forever together. How can I do that if you're not here? I can't even breathe without you…"

"Lucy…" Gray began, having heard her last words, "Lucy I am just so sorry!" He was leaning heavily on one crutch, his other hovering over his face, trying to stop the tears that he knew wanted to fall.

Lucy finally stood when she heard Gray's words, turning to look at her brother with a sad, soft smile. She had wallowed for far too long, spending the past six months making her way through her life like she was in the background, not truly living. Wherever Natsu was, he wouldn't want this for her, for any of them. He would be berating them all, for having given up on living, even if he was missing. She wouldn't continue to do it. She wouldn't let any of them continue to do it. She was going to live, for both her AND Natsu, so that when he did finally come home, he would be proud of her.

"Gray," Lucy said softly, eyeing Juvia who stood in the background, looking utterly devastated at her husband, before she nodded at the other woman. Startled, Juvia nodded back, knowing Lucy was going to say what Gray needed to hear even as the rain fell down upon them all. "How was any of this your fault? I don't blame you for Natsu going missing, and I KNOW he doesn't blame you either. You were injured, almost fatally wounded, Gray. If you had followed after him, you would be dead. Natsu wouldn't want that. He would want you to live so next time you guys meet he can fight you and you guys can try to see, again, who's better," Lucy said with a slight laugh, her eyes twinkling for the first time in six months. "Natsu thought of you as his best friend, his brother-in-arms. He would never want you to beat yourself up over something like this. He wouldn't want any of us to be feeling this way, to just stop living and grieve when he's not even dead."

Gray startled at Lucy's vibrant tone and the expression on her face. She looked…alive. She looked alive for the first time since he came home and had to tell her the man she loves more than life itself was missing and no one knew where he was or even where to start looking for him. It had torn him apart inside to see her looking so dead these past months. Looking at her now, so full of hope for the future, he could not help but stop his self-loathing thoughts.

"He's alive out there, Gray. I just know it," she whispered to him suddenly. "He wouldn't let anyone beat him. And I know he'll make his way back to us."

Gray stared at her, surprised beyond words at her upbeat words. Natsu had been gone for six months, and Lucy had acted like he'd been dead this whole time. He wondered what had suddenly changed her attitude. Whatever it was, he decided, he was very grateful for it. He had missed her happy and hopeful personality desperately. He nodded then before looking back at his beautiful wife. Juvia stood there, in the pouring rain, just watching him. When she saw him looking at her, his eyes no longer half dead, she gave him the most brilliant smile he had seen on her face in a while. He had not realized until this exact moment how much she had suffered with him, and he felt terrible for it. He glanced at Lucy once before seeing her smile at him and nod towards Juvia. Without a second thought, he made his way back towards her, the two of them walking together to their car.

Lucy watched Gray and Juvia go with a smile, a true, genuine smile. She knew she still had a long way to go before she fully recovered, fully came back to herself, and she even knew that she might not be "100% Lucy" again until Natsu came back. But she wasn't going to keep herself from living any more. She loved Natsu, more than anything and anyone, and he would tell her to keep fighting. So until the day they were reunited, she was going to do just that.

"I won't ever stop fighting for you," Lucy whispered to the sky as the rain continued to fall down on her. "I know you've been gone for a long time…but I won't ever stop trying to find you. And since I won't ever stop…that means you can't either. I believe in you, Natsu."

Lucy smiled, a twinkle in her eye as she looked back down at the headstone that bore her love's name, "After all…I'm counting on forever…Natsu."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So this was my very first fanfiction! I hope people enjoy it, because it was actually a blast to write, even with the somewhat angsty nature of the story! First off let me say that I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR THE SONG JUST A DREAM BY CARRIE UNDERWOOD. All credit for both original works goes to their respective owners; I just borrowed characters and a basic premise from the song for my story :). Also, a HUGE thank you needs to go out to my friend, AleeGee, for being the first to read this and telling me I should publish! Please go check out her stories because she is fantastic! :) Finally, just a thank you to anyone who reads this, whether you enjoy it or not, I appreciate that you took the time to do so! Please review if you feel so inclined; I greatly appreciate it!

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE 2.0:** I went ahead and went back and re-edited this chapter to fix a few grammatical errors I found. Hopefully it flows more smoothly without those errors.


	2. Chapter 2

Counting on Forever Chapter 2

The punch to the kidneys had been the final straw. Spitting blood onto the floor, Natsu looked up at his captor and attacker, refusing to let out the groan that wanted to escape his lips. Instead, he grinned at the cloaked man before he rattled the chains keeping him kneeling on the floor.

"Is that seriously all you've got? My fiancé hits harder than you!" he said cockily, still grinning like a mad man and rattling the chains, knowing his little acts of defiance drove the other man crazy. The cloaked man stopped as he had raised another fist to hit the pink-haired fool. He glared down at Natsu with hatred burning in his eyes. How he just WISHED the boss would let him kill the idiot…

"Natsu," the cloaked man suddenly laughed as he stared down at him, "The boss…'heard' that today is a very special day for you, so he wanted us to show you extra special treatment…" Natsu's blood ran a little cold at that. What was today? He had lost count weeks ago of how many days he had been here…and if it WAS a special day for him…how the hell did they know?

"We are going to treat you to something VERY special!" and with that, the man took off his hood, for the first time revealing himself fully to Natsu. He had long, spiky blonde hair and creepy red eyes. Natsu looked him over for a moment using his good eye; his left was still swollen shut from a hit near the beginning of his…session, over an hour ago.

"Well hey there, princess," Natsu said with a grin. "I didn't know they let chicks dole out the punishment." He grinned wider when he saw the man's eye twitch.

"I am NOT a woman you colossal moron!" he hissed before socking Natsu in the jaw…again, "My name is Zancrow! I am one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory! I am feared above all others of my Kin! I am Master Hades' right hand!" He threw his arms out to the side as he stood before Natsu, letting out an evil laugh as he preened.

Natsu shook his head from the blow, wincing imperceptibly as he ran his tongue over where his lip had split. This dude was psychotic and thoroughly enjoyed the sound of his own voice. BUT now Natsu had information he didn't have before; he knew who their master was. He knew who had ordered the ambush that had, he hoped, only nearly killed Gray and gotten him and his commander, Laxus, captured. He knew whom he would have to pay back now. The thought made him smile despite his newly split lip.

"And you, Natsu Dragneel," Zancrow said rather suddenly as he looked back down at him, a gleam in his eye that Natsu KNEW just spelled out trouble, "You are a nobody. You're not even the most important member of your team. Your commander, that Laxus, is more important than you. You're weak, useless." Zancrow began to sneer at Natsu. He had been so weak…going back for his commander when he should have just hightailed it out of that ambush. Now he was going to pay for his frailty.

"Master wants you to pay for your frailty, Natsu," Zancrow said cheerfully, launching a vicious kick to Natsu's side, "He does not take kindly to frailty and since today is your wedding day, he thought we should rid you of at least one of your weaknesses."

Natsu froze completely at Zancrow's words. How the hell did they know he was supposed to be getting married today? And what did the psycho mean about ridding him of one of his weaknesses? He had never even understood why he and Laxus had been taken! It's not like their unit knew a lot of sensitive information; they just received missions from the higher ups with the most minimal information and were then told to be successful or else. This had been the first mission in almost seven years that had ended without everyone making it home safely. Natsu shook his head as he thought about how he had left Gray to go after Laxus. His best friend had been pinned underneath their flipped Humvee from the explosion that had rocked the vehicle and surprised them all. God did he hope Gray had made it out okay…but then again he had to. He had to have gotten out; Natsu was sure the other two guys on their team, Sting and Rogue, would have made sure he had gotten out and gotten to medical care.

"Why do you think it's my wedding day?" Natsu asked stiffly, still mentally reeling. There was no way they could possibly know that. Terrorists like Zancrow and his "master" didn't care to know that kind of stuff about individual soldiers; it served no purpose.

"We know everything about you, Natsu," Zancrow said with a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "We learn everything about our enemies as soon as we capture them, so that we know how to use them to their fullest potential. Personally, though," he continued carelessly, "I don't get why we're keeping you or the blonde one. You guys don't know anything about who we are or our goals."

"Then why are we here?" Natsu asked, hoping Zancrow might just slip and tell him.

"Why to teach your higher ups a lesson of course!" Zancrow cried out. "We are the strongest. We will prevail. We, the members of Grimoire Heart, will destroy you all." He gave Natsu another fanatical grin before he laughed and grabbed Natsu by the hair, ripping his head back to glimpse into his one good eye.

"And since today is so very special for you…we thought we would let you watch," he whispered as he continued to grin, revealing his straight, white teeth. Natsu didn't want to know what he was expected to watch but had no choice as he listened to scuffling outside of the cell he had been placed in. His right eye widened slightly as he heard Laxus's shouting.

"What are you doing to him?" Natsu snarled as he heard something bang against the door leading out of his cell.

Zancrow said nothing but his face stretched even wider to accommodate his creepy smile as the door was opened and Laxus was thrown in by another figure wearing a cloak. Natsu frantically looked over his commander, noticing he looked to be in even worse shape than he felt. There were bruises and deep cuts all over Laxus's body and it looked like he had lost ten pounds that he really couldn't have afforded to lose. His blonde hair was dirty and matted in places with blood while quite a bit of facial hair covered his jaw. Natsu could only stare at his commander as he was forced up into a kneeling position by the one who had thrown him in the room. Zancrow quickly shackled Laxus's wrists to the ground, presumably to keep him from fighting back.

Laxus was exhausted as he looked over to Natsu and grimaced. His younger friend looked like hell; not that he really could say anything since he knew he looked awful too. But Natsu…his left eye was completely swollen shut and black and blue. Various shades of bruises covered his exposed torso and dried blood was crusted on his chin and chest. His usually vibrantly pink hair, which was oddly enough actually natural like Gray's wife's blue hair, had grown out and seemed to stick out even more than it had before. Pink facial hair covered his jaw line in what would, if left unchecked, become an impressive beard.

As Laxus looked over his comrade, one of the men he had sworn to lead and protect, one of the few men he considered to truly be his _family_ , he could not help the guilt that swelled in his heart. It was, after all, his fault Natsu was even here. If Laxus hadn't been knocked unconscious during that ambush, he wouldn't have been dragged away by a few members of Grimoire Heart. If he hadn't been dragged away, Natsu wouldn't have seen him and gone after him to try and rescue him.

God had Laxus never felt so useless as he had the past six months! There was literally nothing he could do. They had kept him chained up at all times and while Laxus was a strong guy, he had not been able to break through the chains that had bound him. He had scars from the mutilation he had inflicted upon his own wrists as he had tried to free himself as well as a thumb that he was sure he would never regain full use of, having broken it to try and slip his hand through the cuff; without having been able to properly set it, he had had to deal with the pain of it healing improperly.

"Here's your wedding present from Grimoire Heart, Natsu!" Zancrow laughed as he stood before both men. The one who had brought Laxus into Natsu's cell remained silent, having folded his thick arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. Natsu noticed this new man had piercings in his arms. _Bizarre_ , he thought as he turned back to stare at Zancrow in anger.

"Wedding present?" Laxus asked, his voice a deep rumble. Only Natsu was able to detect the slight trepidation in Laxus's tone as the two men turned to one another. _So he's concerned about how they know it's my wedding day too…_ Natsu thought, wondering what Laxus was trying to tell him with his eyes. He wished they could just speak freely! Gah Natsu was never that great at reading anybody except Lucy…

"Oh yes," Zancrow said with a malicious grin. "We are going to _break_ you Natsu Dragneel," suddenly he turned to the other man and gestured for him to walk closer. Without hesitation the other man stepped forward, although he made sure to keep his face covered with his cloak. At some unseen signal from Zancrow, the newcomer slammed his knee into Laxus's stomach, making the man cough up blood as his body spasmed at the blow.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted, straining against his chains, "What the hell do you think you're doing! Leave him alone!"

Despite his protests, though, the other men ignored him. The unknown cloaked man continued to pound Laxus into the ground while Zancrow watched Natsu's horrified face with glee. An impromptu knock at the door to Natsu's cell halted the assault on Laxus. Looking annoyed, Zancrow ripped open the cell door only to look upon a woman. Blinking in surprise, Zancrow shifted as the woman looked over the scene impassively. She had dark, purple hair and what looked to be brown eyes.

"Ultear," Zancrow said, trying and failing to hide his shock, "What are you doing here?"

"Master asked me to see how it was progressing," the woman named Ultear said coolly as she eyed Laxus and Natsu before her gaze shifted to the other man in the room. With a barely perceptible nod of her head, the other man stiffened before he returned the nod. Natsu felt like the dense idiot Gray had often accused him of being as he took in everyone's silent signals.

"It's progressing," Zancrow practically growled at the woman. She lifted a delicate brow at his obvious hostility but said nothing as she turned, gesturing towards both him and the other man in the room.

"Come," was all she said when she realized they had not followed her a moment later. Zancrow bristled visibly at this but grumbled and then walked after her, the other man, the one with the piercings, shrugged before following after them. With a hollow booming sound, the door to Natsu's cell slammed shut behind them.

"Natsu you have to listen to me right now," Laxus said suddenly, as soon as they could no longer hear the footsteps of their three captors. Instantly Natsu's eye snapped back to his commander; he had never heard Laxus sound so urgent. "We are here to be an example to our military. Natsu no matter what happens to me you have to promise to STAY ALIVE. Do you understand me, Natsu? You have to stay alive and get out of here. Get back to our family and let them know what happened."

Natsu couldn't help but stare at his commander incredulously. What the hell did he mean, no matter what happens to him? What the hell was going to happen to him? They were BOTH going to get out of here; Natsu just knew it. Now that they were together, they could come up with a plan to get out, kick this "Grimoire Heart's" ass, and then get back to their girls, back to their family.

"What the hell are you talking like that for?" Natsu burst out angrily when he finally was able to speak after his incredulity had faded. "We're both going to make it out of here. Stop talking like you're not coming back with me!" Natsu was shouting by the end of his statement, and he could not have cared any less about who may have heard him.

"Natsu enough," Laxus said furiously. He needed Natsu to just shut up and listen! "Natsu you have to think logically here. I'm supposed to be your wedding present right? They are trying to BREAK you, Natsu. They've had six months to break me and they haven't been able to. They're trying to turn us into examples for our government. They're going to try and use us to show our government how strong they are and how much of a threat they are. Natsu…they aren't going to let me out of this room alive. You know it and I know you know it."

Natsu immediately started shaking his head. How could Laxus talk like that! He was talking like he had already given up! They were still alive, weren't they? He couldn't give up now! They were finally together; they could finally come up with a plan! Mira would never forgive him if he let Laxus give up now.

"Laxus…" Natsu started but was silenced by the furious look on his commander's face. Natsu immediately shut up, knowing that that look meant Laxus was serious and it was time to listen.

"I haven't given up, Natsu. I will never give up," Laxus stated fiercely, "I want to get back to them as much as you do. I want to see my wife again, to meet my baby girl, but I'm also a realist. I know that most likely won't happen and that it would take a real miracle for it to happen. So I'm telling you now, no I'm ordering you, to not give up. You have to make it out of here. If they do kill me, you have to stay strong. You can't let it break you. You have to make it back to our family, Natsu."

Natsu could not help himself as he felt a tear fall from his good eye. Laxus couldn't be talking like this. He was the strongest out of all of them. He cared so much about their family, so much so that he continued to do this job even after Mira had begged him to stop, saying he had given his ten years and it was time to start living their lives together. This was supposed to be his last mission before he was discharged. This couldn't be happening right now!

"Laxus stop talking like that!" Natsu screamed, his mind refusing to even acknowledge the words he was saying, "You can't just give up on me. What the hell would Mira say?! I know what Mira would say! She would say to stop with your 'realist' attitude and start working on a way to get out of this! You have too much to live for to give up before something's even happened!"

Laxus couldn't help himself; he smiled at Natsu's attitude. He knew it would seem like he was giving up to the younger man, but he knew that wasn't it. He knew what was coming and he was just trying to prepare Natsu. There was no way in hell Laxus was getting out of this alive, and he knew it. He knew it and he had accepted it and it hurt like hell. He would never see his beautiful wife again. He would never get to meet his baby girl, or hold her in his arms. He would never get to see his grandfather's look of pride as he watched Laxus hold his baby girl. He would not get to see Natsu marry the only girl who would ever be able to put up with him and love him the way Lucy did. He wouldn't get to see Gray and Juvia start their own family, or watch how Evergreen finally got "tamed" by Elfman. He wouldn't be able to watch as Bickslow finally made a move on Lisanna. There was so much he knew he was going to miss, and it shattered his very heart to think about. But he HAD to prepare Natsu for what was coming. If he didn't, then Natsu would break and just help this Grimoire Heart further their goals, and even if it meant his death, he couldn't let that happen; in the end, he was still a soldier and he would always fight against evil.

Natsu was still ranting when Laxus came out of his reverie, and it just stiffened his resolve to get it through Natsu's thick skull that, no matter what, he had to survive. Laxus grit his teeth as he started listening to Natsu's scolding again; it had gotten more nonsensical the longer he kept talking. How was _toothpaste_ something he should live for anyway?

"NATSU ENOUGH!" Laxus finally roared, unable to take the inanity of Natsu's reasons any longer. Seriously at this rate any little thing was going to be why Laxus shouldn't be giving up. "You HAVE to listen to me! This is GOING to happen. There is no if, there is no maybe, there is no might not. Grimoire Heart is going to try and break you by killing me in front of you; I know it. There is nothing we can do about that right now. I am going to fight until the end, Natsu. You have to know this. But there will be an end and you have to prepare yourself for it."

Natsu shook his head, not wanting to accept what Laxus was saying. There was no way someone could possibly kill Laxus. He was Laxus Dreyar for heaven's sake! He was unbeatable, the strongest guy in their unit. As Laxus stared at him, trying to get Natsu to just UNDERSTAND, they both stiffened as they heard the sound of returning footsteps. Laxus and Natsu both turned towards the door before Laxus shifted his gaze back to Natsu, his expression frantic and pleading. Natsu had no idea what to do, what to make of his friend's gaze. Laxus had NEVER looked at anyone like that, but Natsu just couldn't accept what he had been saying. There was just no way it could end like that, not here, not like this, not now. Just…not when everything had been falling into place for them and their family…

When the door opened again, it was once again only Zancrow and the cloaked, pierced man. The woman named Ultear did not follow them, but Zancrow looked extremely irritated. As he entered the room, Zancrow's entire attitude shifted as he gazed down at the men kneeling before him.

"Ah back to the fun," Zancrow said, gleefully rubbing his hands together as he leaned forward and grasped Natsu's hair, forcing his gaze up to look him in the eye. "Are you ready, Natsu Dragneel? Are you ready to see the strength of Grimoire Heart?"

Natsu repressed the shudder he felt at Zancrow's words. This almost felt like the calm before the storm and Natsu really did not want to see what the storm would be. There was nothing in Zancrow's gaze that would give away what was about to happen; his eyes were filled with a maniacal kind of glee that Natsu did not want to see in anyone's gaze…ever. Natsu could not understand how someone could look so evil and happy at the same time and yet not reveal a thing.

Laxus watched the whole exchange with rage running through his body. Here Zancrow was, purposefully putting a harmful hand on his teammate, and Laxus could do nothing but watch. He was so tired of this helpless feeling and it just made his rage grow. If he were able to remove the chains from his wrists, he would show Zancrow just how weak the man really was.

With a side-glance to the cloaked man and a flick of his wrist, Zancrow gave the other man a prearranged signal. Moving fast, like the strike of a rattlesnake, the cloaked man pulled a dagger from the depths of his cloak and plunged it into Laxus's chest, right over his heart.

Laxus's eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at his chest, his breaths stuttering as he felt his heartbeat slowing. He could feel and see the warm red liquid beginning to bubble up under the knife and then running down his chest. With his stunned expression still on his face, he looked at Natsu, taking in his horrified expression, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fully collapsed onto the floor.

There were no words. Natsu had no words as he watched that bastard plunge the knife into his commander's chest. The world around them seemed to stop as he could only watch, horrified, as his commander turned to meet his gaze again. His alarm only grew as he saw Laxus's body fall to the floor, still chained at the wrists and his legs folded beneath him from the kneeling position he had been in. This wasn't happening. It wasn't happening!

With a sudden roar, all sound came rushing back to Natsu as he gazed at Laxus's fallen body. Zancrow's vicious laughter was the first thing that hit Natsu's ears as reality came rushing towards him. His friend, his friend for the past fifteen years, had fallen. Natsu couldn't even see his chest rising and falling any longer. Something snapped inside Natsu as he heard Zancrow's laughter and his comments about how they now "knew" who was stronger.

With an enraged roar, Natsu pulled at the chains binding him, snapping the chains of his right wrist as adrenaline coursed through his body. If he could just get to Laxus, if he could just get to him, he would be all right. They would be all right. Zancrow stumbled back a step, his face an odd mixture of fear and awe, before the cloaked man stepped forward and socked Natsu right in the jaw, the same spot Zancrow had hit him earlier. Blackness rushed to greet Natsu as he fell back to the floor, but he fought against the darkness trying to take his conscious mind from him.

 _You said you wouldn't quit fighting, Laxus…_ Natsu thought as his consciousness started to fade, _our girls wouldn't ever stop fighting for us either…so I won't… I won't let this end here. I just won't…they're counting on us…_

As Natsu heard Zancrow congratulating the other man on a job well done, his last conscious thought was, _Lucy is…counting on…forever…_

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Finally! Ugh this was TERRIBLE to try and get done! I had it done and then my laptop DIED and I had to rewrite it and hopefully this version is as good as the other version I had done before I lost it. Now that my rant is out of the way, I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR THE SONG JUST A DREAM BY CARRIE UNDERWOOD. They belong to their respective owners. Lastly, a HUGE thank you to everyone who viewed, reviewed, favorited, and followed "Counting on Forever"! It feels wonderful to know people have read and are enjoying my story. I am thinking this will be maybe two more chapters and possibly an epilogue but…we'll see how it goes and where the story takes me! :)

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE 2.0:** Totally realized I had a timing issue as I was looking back over this chapter…but it's fixed now. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Counting on Forever Chapter 3

Mira sighed as she stretched her back after laying Mavis down for her nap; thankfully she had fallen back to sleep on the drive home. Elfman and Lisanna had dropped her off at her house after their visit to the church. They had offered to stay with her, but she had refused. Today sucked, beyond words, but Mira knew Laxus was out there somewhere. She would just have to wait until he came home to her and Mavis.

The memorial had been…just…devastating. There were no other words to describe how it had felt to hear that pastor stand before the congregation and talk about her husband like he was dead. He had not even talked about who Laxus IS, just his accomplishments. That pastor had said nothing about Laxus's fierce devotion to his family and friends. He had said nothing about what a kind, devoted, loyal, and honorable man Laxus is. He had just droned on and on about what Laxus had done while in the military without looking any closer at his character, and it had torn at her insides to know that most people thought of him in terms of those accomplishments, rather than who he truly was.

Mira ran a hand through her hair as she sat down on the couch after leaving Mavis's room, just thinking about what the pastor had said about her husband and her good friend, who may as well be her brother, Natsu. She kicked off her heels and pulled her legs into her lap before she shut her eyes.

"Laxus…I miss you," she whispered to the empty room as she listened to Mavis's baby monitor crackle in the background. She reached up as she felt a single tear make its way down her cheek and her eyes slowly opened once again as she scrubbed her hand across her face. She was so very tired of crying…

"Are you with Natsu, Laxus? Are you both together, working on how to come home?" she said, keeping her voice low. "Are you making your way back to me even as I speak? You know…Mavis really needs her daddy." Her voice cracked on the last word as a sob made its way up her throat. "God Laxus it's just so unfair… This was your last mission. You promised. You promised you would come home and you would get out! It's been fifteen years; I think you've given them enough of your life! Why did this have to happen now?"

Mira felt drained as she forced herself out of her own thoughts and back off the couch. She couldn't continue to wallow. It wasn't good for her and it wasn't good for Mavis either for her mother to be sad and stressed out all of the time. She stretched out her back, listening to a few pops and cracks as she bent first one way and then the other. She was emotionally drained and thoroughly exhausted but she knew she had too much to do to rest now. With a small smile she thought about how so many other mothers had told her to let things go and just "sleep when the baby sleeps". Oh how she wished she could just punch those other mothers in the face whenever they said that to her. Show them exactly why her nickname from high school was "The Demon". It wasn't that she was truly angry with those other women, but really how did they get away with that? There was just so much for Mira to do in a single day that she couldn't just nap whenever Mavis napped.

Chuckling to herself, Mira moved towards the kitchen before preparing dinner for herself and for Lucy. She had invited her friend over for dinner about a week ago, wanting to make sure they would be able to be there for one another after such a difficult day. Mira wasn't selfish enough to be completely unaware that today would be difficult for her blonde friend, a woman she viewed like a sister, and she truly believed they would be able to help each other through this awful time.

Mira had finished cutting up the vegetables for dinner when she felt all energy seem to drain out of her. The knife she had held in her hand clattered into the sink as she found herself falling to her knees upon the floor. Mira shook her head in confusion, unsure of why there was an immense pain in her chest all of the sudden. She rubbed the throbbing spot above her heart, wondering why on earth it felt like her heart was shattering.

Mira's heart stuttered as a dark thought crossed her mind. What if she was hurting because LAXUS was hurt? What if the pain she was feeling was because something had happened to him? They had always had a rather strange bond, able to feel what the other was feeling even over immense distances…

"Laxus?" Mira whispered, her hand falling from her chest as the pain started to subside. What was going on?! Was he hurt? Was he…was he…NO! Mira shook her head as she refused to allow her thoughts to go any further down the path they were on. Laxus was strong. He was going to be coming back to her. Mira glanced at the clock above her sink. She had maybe an hour before Lucy came by for dinner. Checking the baby monitor to see how Mavis was doing, Mira saw she was still asleep and decided to take a quick power nap herself, to rejuvenate and try and get rid of this overwhelming foreboding feeling that had taken residence in her heart…

Mira woke only a little bit later with a groan; she felt like she had not slept at all. She stiffened as she heard someone moving around in her home. She slowly looked up at the clock on the opposite wall from the couch she was lying on. It had only been thirty minutes…there was no way Lucy was here yet…

With a serious sense of trepidation, Mira sat up, looking around the darkened room. Despite it having only been thirty minutes, the sun had mostly fallen and there were shadows crawling along the walls of her living room. As Mira sat there, straining her eyes for any small sound, she heard a voice speaking softly. A male voice. Through Mavis's baby monitor. A sudden sense of urgency and dread hit Mira as she launched herself off the couch and down the hallway to her baby girl's nursery. Like hell would she let some creep harm or take her daughter!

Mira slowed down as she approached the door to Mavis's nursery; she did not want to alert the intruder that she was there. Carefully she reached under the table that was in the hallway to get the 9mm handgun her husband kept hidden there. She had been telling him ever since she learned she was pregnant he needed to put it somewhere else since they were expecting and it was dangerous, but in this moment she was grateful he had not found the time before his mission to lock it away in the gun safe.

Mira quickly checked the weapon to make sure it was loaded and ready to go before she nudged the door open with one hand, staying low to the ground. If there were an intruder as she thought, they would be expecting her to be standing up, not crouching on the ground ready to take them out. The thought made her smile as she recalled all of the training sessions Laxus had made her go through when they first got married, about ten years ago now; he had wanted to make sure she would be able to defend herself in any eventuality if he were gone.

As she crept into the room unnoticed, her heart stopped for a moment before rapidly picking back up again. There was a man in her little girl's room. And he was cradling Mavis in his arms. Mira panicked as she thought about what she could do to get her away from the man before his voice registered in her mind.

"You look so much like your mother, my little Mavis," the man said softly, leaning down to kiss her daughter's head. Mira's heart seemed to stop again as she recognized the man's voice.

"Laxus?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking and tears beginning to fall as she lowered the weapon in her hands. Carefully she placed the handgun on the ground before she stood shakily as she watched his shoulders tense before he turned to face her.

"Oh my God…it is you," Mira whispered. The tears began to fall even faster as she stumbled forward first one step, then another. Laxus smiled, the soft, perfect smile he always reserved only for her. As Mira wiped away the tears from her face, her blood ran cold as she took in Laxus's appearance.

Laxus was gaunt looking, as though he had lost a lot of weight in a small amount of time. Bruises were all over his body and he looked like he would topple over any second. As Mira's eyes inspected her husband's appearance, she gasped as they fell to his chest, where he held their baby girl. There was blood all over his chest, coming from some wound she could not pinpoint. It was spilling everywhere; dripping onto the floor and staining Mavis's blanket.

"Laxus?" Mira asked, suddenly unsure even as tears kept falling. How could he be here? Wouldn't he have woken her if he had come home? How was he still standing with the amount of wounds that covered his body?

"Mira," he said with another soft smile upon his face. But Mira couldn't look at his smile; she was far too horrified. The blood…the blood it was everywhere. Soaking into Mavis's blanket…dripping onto the floor…coating his hair, his chest… As she looked at him in horror, suddenly his eyes rolled back into his head and he started to fall back, Mavis suddenly gone from his arms. Mira screamed as she watched her baby disappear from his arms as he fell. What was happening?!

"LAXUS!" Mira shrieked as her eyes came flying open, her heart pounding in her chest and tears falling rapidly from her eyes. She sat up quickly, ignoring the rushing feeling going through her head as she pushed her hair out of her face.

"Mira! Oh my god Mira what's wrong?!" she heard someone asking her, wrapping their arms around her petite frame. With unseeing eyes, Mira turned her face to try and look at the person holding her, but she couldn't make out who it was. All she could see was Laxus as he fell. Laxus, covered in his own blood. Laxus, covered in bruises and looking like he had not eaten in months. Laxus, holding their baby girl even as his life's blood poured out from his body, soaking their daughter's blanket…

With a sob Mira finally wrapped her arms around the person holding her, just needing the comfort and warmth of another human body. It had to be a dream. That was the only explanation. Laxus had not really been there. He had not really been covered in blood while holding their daughter. She whimpered as she thought about how happy she had been to realize it was Laxus in Mavis's nursery, only to have that happiness turn to horror as she took in his sorry state.

"Mira…" Lucy murmured as she stroked the white-haired girl's hair. Her eyes had been wide and frightened when she had woken, screaming her husband's name; now they were shut tight as she struggled with whatever images that had terrified her so. Lucy had come to eat dinner, as Mira had requested the previous week, but she had never expected this when she let herself into her friend/sister's house.

Unsure how to help Mira, Lucy just held her and murmured soothing words in her ear. Mira said nothing as Lucy held her; she only shook and sobbed in the blonde girl's arms as she relived details from her nightmare. _Laxus, Laxus, Laxus_ …kept repeating in Mira's head like a mantra as the images flashed before her, seemingly searing themselves into her brain.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was only about fifteen minutes, Mira had calmed down enough to pull away from Lucy. Her eyes were completely haunted and it shocked Lucy.

"Oh Mira…what did you dream?" Lucy asked softly, grasping the other woman's hands in hers tightly. This day had been rough for both of them, but for Mira to wake up screaming her husband's name? That must have been one hell of a nightmare…

"I…Lucy I can't talk about it. I just can't," Mira said, sniffling as she swiped her fingers across her cheeks, removing the rest of her tears, "It was just too horrible…"

Lucy nodded in understanding. In the six months Natsu had been gone, she had had the worst nightmares of her entire life. She had imagined every possible scenario, every single thing that her creative brain could torment her with, as to why he was gone. It had been her own form of psychological torture. The worst thing about it, though, was that she had done it to herself; her subconscious mind working against her as the worry and fear ate at her.

"You know, Mira…" Lucy began, wondering how to even begin, "I made a decision today. Would you like to hear it?"

Mira looked at her then, slightly curious but still looking haunted, before she nodded. Lucy almost sighed in relief that Mira was interested enough to talk to her; she knew how difficult it was to want to talk after such an awful nightmare.

"I was kneeling there by Natsu's memorial stone and I was just so upset…" Lucy said, her voice soft, "I couldn't understand, I still don't to be honest, how this could have happened to us all. I don't understand why he and Laxus had to go missing. I don't understand why it has happened now, of all times. It makes no sense to me that Natsu would be taken from me right before we were supposed to get married, or that Laxus has been taken from you and Mavis before she ever even had the chance to meet him. But as I was wallowing in my grief and self-pity, I came to a realization, Mira. Would you still like to hear it?"

Mira could not help the chuckle that passed her lips at her friend's repeated question. "Yes, Lucy. I would still like to hear it," she said with a fragile smile upon her face. Lucy smiled back encouragingly as she leaned forward, looking the older woman in the eye.

"I realized that Natsu would not want me to wallow," Lucy whispered conspiratorially, "Natsu, and Laxus, would both be furious if they knew we had wasted six months of time just grieving. That's not who we are. That's not who our family is." Mira stared at Lucy astonished. Their boys definitely would be angry if they learned their women had done nothing but wallow for six months, but how were they supposed to move past something so devastating? Especially when Laxus and Natsu were probably still out there?

"What do we do then?" Mira asked softly, a bit of the life returning to her eyes and the haunted air dissipating. Lucy, inwardly, was jumping up and down ecstatically; THIS was the Mira she knew, the Mira who was always willing to make a plan and follow through with it.

"We work to get them back," Lucy said simply, her eyes shining in anticipation, "We go and make the biggest fuss the military has ever seen and let them KNOW we want our men back."

"And if they refuse to help us?" Mira asked as a wide smile began to overtake her face. Lucy felt a responding grin begin to flit across her face, laughter building in her chest.

"Then we bring them back ourselves," Lucy said, holding out her right hand. Mira looked at it for all of three seconds before she reached out with her right hand to grasp Lucy's. Renewed energy seemed to crackle through both women as they held one another's hands in a tight grasp. They were going to make this happen. They were going to make this work. They were going to get their boys back.

"They did promise us forever, didn't they?" Mira asked, all haunted feelings thoroughly gone from her system and a radiant air surrounding her.

"Forever," Lucy affirmed, nodding her head resolutely as Mira did the same. This was it. They were going to get them back. _Natsu…Laxus…be ready…we're coming for you._

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So this is my shortest chapter so far, but I really felt it needed to end where it did. Hopefully it is enough until I post the next chapter. ;) And oh my goodness I cannot believe how many views and visitors my first story has gotten! Thank you all so, so much! I seriously never thought my story would get as much attention as it has; over 300 views that's just amazing! To all of my favorites, followers, and reviewers, you guys are FANTASTIC! It absolutely makes my day to see that someone has even viewed my story, so for you all to favorite, follow, or review it is like the icing on the cake. :)

ANYWAY…I do not own Fairy Tail or Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood. They, as always, belong to their respective owners. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Counting on Forever Chapter 4

Everything was dark and all he could feel was pain. He could feel himself breathing so he knew he was alive…but damn if the pain in his head and in his heart wouldn't stop. He supposed that was probably a good thing, though, since if he felt pain it meant he was still alive. Because if he was dead, he wouldn't feel pain right? Oh but how he wished he WASN'T feeling this pain…everything had gone so, so wrong…

"You have to get up," he heard a voice, a gruff, IRRITATED voice, say. He wanted to punch that person in the face. Didn't they know how much he was hurting right now? Gah couldn't they just give him five freaking minutes to adjust!

"Look dude…we have shit to do. Get off your sorry ass so we can get to work," he wondered then who this voice was and what they had to do. He also wondered why everything was still dark. How was he even hearing this voice if he was unconscious? _Whatever_ …he thought, just deciding to accept whatever was going on. Because, really, he was probably just hallucinating now.

"The boss is going to kick my ass if you're not okay so I need you to get up off your sorry ass and help me out here." He wanted to growl at the person…man…intruding upon his foray into unconsciousness. Seriously…who does that to another man after what he's been through today?

"Holy shit you killed him," he heard another man's voice say as footsteps approached him. This man's voice sounded…not angry but…impressed maybe? "I didn't know you had it in you to go against the boss!" Yep. Definitely impressed then; it pissed him off. Who gets impressed when someone kills somebody else?

"No I didn't kill him," the first man's voice responded in an angry growl. "He's just unconscious still."

"Well then what the hell do we do now?" the second man asked, his voice now sounding oddly dejected.

"How the fuck would I know?!" angry man answered, "We just wait for him to wake up I guess."

"When I signed up to take this job with the boss I thought it was going to be more interesting…" the second man grumbled in response. He heard shuffling in the background, like the man had moved away from where he was lying prone on the floor and wondered, again, what was going on. Obviously these two men knew him…somehow…but how did they know him, who were they, and what did they need to do?

He sighed internally as he thought over everything that had happened the past six months as he had been held captive, waiting for himself to fully wake from his unconscious state. First he and his unit had been ambushed. Then he and his teammate had been captured, leaving the other three guys on their team on their own in hostile territory (and he hoped with all his heart they had gotten out). After realizing the enemy captured him, he had had to endure months of torture for no discernable purpose until finally, finally, he had been reunited with his teammate only for them both to be harmed in front of one another. Remembering what had happened last, he quickly turned his mind away from the event. It would do him no good now. Nor would thinking about his comrade…

Ugh if only his mind would fully come out from unconsciousness! It was irritating him to be locked inside his own head. He felt completely aware now of everything going on around him, but he just couldn't open his damn eyes! What had happened to him? He was tired of the own thoughts in his mind…

With another mental sigh, he decided to think about his girl back home until his brain released its grip on itself rather than the situation he was in. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Beautiful, kind, willing to put up with his shit and call him on it…she was just…wonderful. He knew that he wasn't the best man in the world, he has his shortcomings like everyone else, but when he was with her…he felt like he could do anything. He could climb the tallest mountain, defeat the strongest enemy, swim across the ocean. There was nothing he couldn't do with her on his side. She was his light, his life. She was just perfect for him.

Rather suddenly, he felt his shoulders being shaken and his brain felt like it was being rattled around in his skull. It definitely DID NOT help the pain that was still coursing through him that he had been somewhat effectively ignoring. Oh when he was fully aware and able to control himself these two idiots were so going to get it…

"Cobra! What the hell man!" the first man's voice thundered out, making him internally wince, "You're going to give him brain damage and then what use is he to us!"

"I'm. Tired. Of. Waiting," the second man, apparently Cobra, growled, emphasizing each of his words with a shake.

"Cobra," a third male voice, this one much calmer, called out, "Why are you shaking my unconscious brother?" He wanted to laugh out loud as he recognized his voice. It was Erza's husband, Jellal. Wait. What was Jellal doing here?!

"Erm…no reason boss," the man called Cobra said sheepishly. He heard Cobra suck in a shaky breath and wished he could see Jellal's expression. "Uh I mean I was trying to see if he would wake up! You know like they sometimes do with coma patients in the movies!"

"You do recall this is a RESCUE mission, don't you, Cobra?" Jellal said, his voice still eerily calm; he wished he could see Jellal's expression, knowing based upon his tone that it would be a sight to behold. "As the rescuers, we are supposed to refrain from causing our charges more harm. And you are causing this man, who has endured six months of torture, more harm. Maybe I should have brought Racer along on this mission over you?"

He heard someone's jaw audibly snap closed at Jellal's comment, most likely Cobra's, before he heard the first man's voice erupt in a fit of laughter. It sounded…bizarre, not like a typical person's laugh…more like a "gi-hi". Then Cobra started spluttering out reasons why he was better suited for this mission than that person, Racer, and how he was really only trying to help and blah blah…

"Enough Cobra," he heard Jellal say resignedly. He could just picture Jellal shaking his head tiredly as he brushed his bright blue hair out of his face. "And Gajeel…why is he still unconscious? It's been three hours already. He should have woken up by now."

"I don't know," he heard the first man's voice, obviously this Gajeel, say. "I did exactly what you told me to do. Maybe his system just couldn't handle it."

"He isn't weak," Jellal said quietly, "You need to watch what you're insinuating. Once he wakes up we will have a lot of explaining to do, and fast. Otherwise he'll kick all of our asses."

Gajeel let out that bizarre laugh again as he said, "With his injuries? I seriously doubt it. He looks like he's been through hell and back."

"You would know," Cobra said suddenly, venomously, "You got to actually interact with both of them before we were able to get her on our side."

"Hey I did my best to hold back," Gajeel shot back, "Do you even know how hard it is to pretend to be a member of an organization like Grimoire Heart? I couldn't NOT do what I was told; they would have caught on."

"Enough," Jellal said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Until he awakens, we just have to wait. Once he's awake we can explain everything then. Oh and Gajeel…if he DOESN'T wake up…you're going to be the one who has to explain to my wife why this mission wasn't a complete success."

He wished he were awake to take in the men's expressions. He had felt the temperature of the room drop at least ten degrees as soon as Jellal mentioned Erza, and he couldn't blame them for their fear; Erza was one scary woman. Not that he was saying HE was afraid of her…but he could see how she would intimidate others. He did wonder, though, when they had met her…and why he didn't know them. Perhaps this was Jellal's personal team? Jellal was a different branch of special ops than he and his team so…it was possible.

"He twitched!" Cobra suddenly shouted, loudly, and right next to his ear…

"What do you mean he twitched?" Jellal said, some color finally coming into his monotone voice.

"I mean he twitched! His hand moved! That means he's fine, right?" Cobra said. He heard more footsteps approaching his prone form on the floor and felt himself tense up at the nearness of the three men. Even though he knew they were friendlies, mostly because Jellal was there, he still could not help his instinctual response. He had been through so much in his military career that being alert and combat ready was like second nature. Although right now it hurt like hell preparing his body for a battle that he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get in…even if it sounded VERY tempting to beat the ones named Cobra and Gajeel to a pulp…

"Your body is awakening, my friend," he heard Jellal say to him; he wanted to roll his eyes. It was obvious whatever had had its grip upon his body was finally fading away. "That is a very good sign. I had been concerned, thinking Gajeel had overdone it."

"Hey!" Gajeel objected in his rough tone, "I told you I did exactly what you told me to do! If something went wrong it went wrong on Cobra's end."

"Like hell I did!" Cobra then chimed in. "You probably just hit him in the wrong spot, trying to 'fit in' with what Grimoire Heart wanted you to do."

Gajeel growled at that and he heard Jellal sigh as the sounds of fists hitting flesh reached him. Were those two idiots seriously fighting? They sounded just as bad as his teammates…

"Idiots…" he heard Jellal mutter under his breath. He couldn't help but agree as he listened to their snarls. "ENOUGH!" Jellal roared not a moment later. If he had control of his body, he would have smirked; Jellal very, very rarely seemed to get angry and those two had riled him up in the matter of minutes.

"We still have a job to do," Jellal snarled at his teammates and he could just feel the Erza-like glare coming from his brother. He wished he could chuckle; Jellal and Erza had been married for five years and it was pretty obvious some of her more…intimidating tendencies were rubbing off on him. "Have you already forgotten there are more people involved in this rescue operation than just him? So knock your shit OFF!"

Almost immediately he heard the other two men stop their fighting. Hm…he never knew Jellal could be such a badass. Erza really must be rubbing off on her calmer, more stable husband. That or Jellal was drawing upon his younger, more delinquent days. How Jellal could have been involved in some unsavory acts still threw him…Jellal just seemed so normal compared to the rest of their family.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he was able to open his eyes for the first time in hours. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light of the room but once he did, he saw Jellal's face smiling down at him, his crimson tattoo his most prominent feature besides his vibrant blue hair.

"Welcome back…Laxus."

* * *

"Hey. You. You need to get up now," he groaned as he heard a woman's voice directly next to his ear. What was going on? Who was talking to him?

"Natsu," the female voice said, sounding less cold now and more annoyed, "I've been trying to wake you up for…hours. Get off your ass so we can get going. The others are waiting for us."

Wait…Natsu knew this woman's voice…it was that woman. That Ultear lady. The one working with the bastards who had murdered his commander and brother in front of his eyes. He almost smiled as he imagined how he was going to get his revenge on her and her sorry comrades…especially the pierced man who had stabbed his friend in the heart. Natsu kept his arms by his sides, though, pretending to still be mostly unconscious as he realized he was no longer chained. _Perfect_ , he thought maliciously.

With a mighty roar, Natsu's eyes flew open at the same time his hands reached out to grab Ultear by the throat. He stood as he maintained his tight grip on Ultear, his muscles barely feeling the strain as righteous anger flooded him. He was not going to let her get away…or scream for help. Natsu snarled in her face as he slammed her back into the wall, keeping her feet off of the ground. Surprisingly, she did not look the least bit shocked or even concerned. Natsu growled low as he took in her complete lack of worry; he would show her EXACTLY why he was not to be messed with.

"Who did it?" he demanded, his voice low and gravelly. "Who killed Laxus? Tell me. Now. Or I will make sure they will never be able to put you back together again." Ultear's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the rage emanating from Natsu. Her master and comrades had very obviously underestimated this man; she would not make the same mistake.

"No one killed Laxus," she said, her voice scratchy as she struggled to get enough air to speak through Natsu's grasp on her throat. She glared at him, irritated, but he only glared right back, not letting up in the slightest. Her vision was beginning to swim a bit, but she had to get through to him. Jellal would go back on his promise if she didn't get Natsu to cooperate.

"I watched him die," Natsu hissed, bringing his face even closer to Ultear's, until they were practically nose-to-nose. She struggled to gulp as she saw the hatred in the pink haired man's eyes. Never had she felt so completely intimidated, or at a loss as to how to proceed. Laxus really WASN'T dead; Gajeel had just drugged him with the bizarre prop knife slash needle thing Jellal had given him. But how to get that through to Natsu?

"It was a trick," Ultear was barely able to gasp out as Natsu's grip tightened minutely. "It was a trick for Zancrow and the others. Gajeel took him out to meet up with the rest of Jellal's team."

"Jellal is here?" Natsu asked, stunned enough to release Ultear. She fell to the floor, sputtering and gasping for breath. Gratefully she dragged breath after breath into her lungs, massaging the spot Natsu had grabbed her before she glared up at him. Slowly, carefully, trying hard not to provoke him, she stood, straightening her clothes once she was standing fully.

"Yes," Ultear replied, still feeling like she was treading on quick sand with Natsu, "He and his team infiltrated Grimoire Heart months ago. Once they realized you and Laxus were being held here, they immediately initiated a rescue operation. I have been assisting them." Natsu scrutinized her closely then and voiced a question she really did not want to have to answer.

"Why?" he asked, continuing to look her over even as she marveled at the fact that he was still standing with his innumerable injuries. "Why would you help them? When Zancrow was here earlier and you interrupted, it seemed you were higher up on the totem pole, so to speak, than he is. Why are you helping us?"

"I have my own reasons," she snapped back, tired of having to answer that one question and his relentless staring, "Jellal trusts me and that should be enough for you." Natsu just scoffed at that.

"I do trust Jellal," Natsu said, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to look her over, "I don't trust you. Tell me why or I'll knock you out and leave you here to rot with the rest of your organization." Ultear could only stare at him in shock as he finished speaking. He was going to knock her out? The man, who had just held her against the wall, using up what was probably left of his very limited strength, was going to knock her out and leave her to rot? The idea was laughable. So she did the only thing that came to mind. She laughed.

"You are going to knock me out, and leave me here?" she asked, chortling. "Do you even realize the state your body is in? You're weak. And even if by some miracle you DID knock me out, how would you get out of here? Do you know the way? Do you know the rotation of the guards? Do you know how to avoid every single person who could cause trouble for you? Not to mention if you DID get out of here you would have to deal with Jellal for leaving me behind."

"I don't really care about how upset Jellal would be," Natsu said with a shrug, "IF he would even be upset that is. I can get out of here, even without your 'insider' help. And I'll take out every person who comes across my path as I do so; this place needs to go down." Ultear admired for a moment the fire in the man's eyes. He was so convicted! More so than even Jellal, the man who had convinced her to work with him for the greater good…

"Look…" Ultear said with a sigh, "We have wasted enough time as it is. Please believe me when I say my reasons are my own… Jellal and I have been working for MONTHS to bring down my 'organization', as you so aptly put it. I realize I made a terrible mistake working for Master Hades and with my former team, the Seven Kin of Purgatory. I can't erase the mistakes I have made, the awful things I have done…but I can try and help you right now. Natsu I can get you out of here. I can get you back with Laxus and then we, Jellal's team and myself, can get you back home. Don't you want to go home, Natsu? See that girl of yours? Finally marry her?"

Natsu drew back like she had struck him at the mention of his girl. Yes…he really did want to go home. He really, REALLY wanted to see Lucy again…to finally marry her and make good on the promise he had made her. His promise to stay with her forever. But he just couldn't trust this woman, could he? These people had held him captive for six months. Had been beaten, tortured, tormented, humiliated, degraded…every bad thing anyone could possibly imagine had probably been done to him in the time he had been here. How was he just supposed to let all of that go and trust her?

Ultear sighed as she shut her eyes tightly. She wasn't getting through to him. What had Jellal told her to call him? It had started with an 'S' she was sure of it…but what was it?

"Look…" she started, wondering what else she could possibly say without giving away her secret. When his eyes met hers again, his deep dark pools meeting hers, she realized there was literally nothing she could say except the truth if she wanted him to follow her. It grated on her, having to share her secret with yet another person, but maybe he could help make sure she stayed safe… "Look Salamander," she heard his gasp as she FINALLY remembered the name Jellal told her, but she didn't stop, "I've been working against Grimoire Heart for the better part of eight months to ensure my daughter's safety. Jellal and his team haven't been home for the past eight months because they have been trying to help me bring them down. My daughter, Meredy, cannot be safe unless this organization is brought down. Discovering that you and Laxus were being held here was the perfect excuse we needed to finally bring them down."

 _Her daughter_ … Natsu's mind was reeling. She had called him Salamander. Only his family called him that and there was no way she could possibly know that was his nickname. And if she had a daughter she was trying to protect… He looked her in the eye again, trying to gauge whether she was being honest or not. Sincerity shone out of her brown eyes and her expression was pleading. It looked like it was killing her slightly to look at him like that and somehow Natsu knew that she was normally much more proud. It struck him that she was essentially lowering herself to convince him of her genuineness.

"Your daughter…Meredy…how old is she?" Natsu asked quietly, his eyes thoughtful. Ultear felt something inside her inflate with happiness as she realized Natsu was beginning to believe her.

"She's fifteen," she responded, her voice just as soft as his had been. "I joined Grimoire Heart when she was younger…when I found her and adopted her, I didn't realize how much she would change me. Watching her grow up with this organization surrounding her…I knew I couldn't continue to let it stand. I couldn't continue to be a part of Grimoire Heart if I were going to be a good mother to her." Natsu just nodded as he moved towards the door of his cell, his legs shaking slightly as he walked across the room.

Ultear worried as she watched him walk. He wasn't healthy. Would she even be able to get him out? She knew her getting him out was a huge part of their plan, but he was so unsteady now that adrenaline wasn't coursing through his body. If she didn't get him out, would that mean they wouldn't get Meredy out? Her heart froze at the thought even as Natsu motioned impatiently for her to join him at the door, his ear pressed to it in an attempt to hear what was going on outside.

"Natsu…" she said softly, but he just shushed her as he turned back to look at her, a wide smile on his face.

"Stop your worrying, Ultear," he said, his infectious grin beginning to affect her, "We're all getting out. You guys have a plan, right? Well now you also have me. I'll make sure you and your daughter get out of here. Then we can all go home together. Sound good?"

Ultear could not stop the smile that spread across her face in response to his words. How he had managed to win her over in the few short minutes they had talked, she would never know. How he had managed to reassure her with so few words, she would never know that either. Natsu was a one of a kind person. She reached forward then, shifting around him to put her hand on the door handle.

"I promised Lucy forever, Ultear," he said, his hand suddenly covering her own on the door handle before she could turn it. She looked at him quizzically but he just smiled. "I promised to always come home to her; that I would always be safe. I'll make sure you can keep that same promise to your daughter."

Blinking back sudden tears, which was NOT like her at all, Ultear gave Natsu a brilliant smile as she pressed down on the door handle. Here went nothing…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Oh my gosh I can't believe how many more views and everything I got after that latest chapter! You guys are just…amazing. Seriously thank you so much! By the way…I SO wanted to end this chapter at Laxus's awakening but I thought that would be too cruel, as well as ridiculously short lol. And I know I said in chapter two that I was only thinking about making this maybe four chapters and an epilogue long…but now I have to say it's going to be probably six chapters long and an epilogue, if people really want to see what happens next lol.

To all of my guest reviewers: I am so glad to see you all reviewed! I really wish I could personally respond to your reviews, but since you reviewed as a guest I am not able to, so let me just thank you here!

AND AS ALWAYS…I own nothing. Fairy Tail and Just a Dream are owned by their respective owners, Hiro Mashima and Carrie Underwood/Carrie Underwood's record company (which is not something I know off the top of my head nor care to Google lol).


	5. Chapter 5

Counting on Forever Chapter 5

"I'm nervous," Lucy admitted as she and Mira entered the imposing building. She had had Capricorn drop her and Mira off almost twenty minutes ago, but she could see the car parked a ways down in the parking lot; she smiled at that, grateful for how the man still looked out for her, even after all of these years. They had stood before the government building, just staring at it and trying to gather up their courage, since then.

"We can do this," Mira said fiercely, her blue eyes flashing with determination, "It's for Laxus and Natsu. We can do anything for them. They would do anything for us."

Lucy smiled as she nodded at Mira's words. Yes…their boys would do absolutely anything for them so it was time they returned the favor. She took a deep breath in as she straightened her skirt. Mira, noticing Lucy fidget with her outfit, reached over and grasped the blonde's hand in hers tightly.

"We can do this," Mira whispered again. Lucy nodded. They had to do this for their boys. If they didn't, no one else would.

Their backs straightened with their resolve, Lucy and Mira walked into the building, heading straight for the office of the commander of the search and rescue team. They had a few words they wanted to share with him. As they walked through the hallways, no one questioned their presence there, which they found odd. Whenever they had visited their boys in their building, they had had to sign in, show their IDs, and get visitor's badges before they were escorted to their loves' offices. It struck them as completely bizarre to have no one even question their presence in the building.

As they walked through the hallways, they noticed pictures of current commanding officers up on the walls as well as paintings of military battles. It was all very masculine, very military. It made Lucy chuckle softly as she looked everything over; it was just so expected and predictable.

After walking through what felt like innumerable hallways, they approached a desk where a young man in military uniform stood, looking over papers. Lucy cleared her throat as they approached since the man seemed totally engrossed in what he was doing and had not noticed them coming closer. Looking startled, he raised his head to meet their gaze. Mira and Lucy looked at him, rather shocked, as he was even younger than they had thought approaching him. He looked like he was barely out of high school.

"Hello," the man said with a smile, nodding towards Mira and Lucy, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Mira said pleasantly, raising an eyebrow at Lucy as though to ask her if she thought this kid could help them, "We are looking for a General Porla."

"Yes," the kid said, gesturing towards a door behind his desk, "General Porla is in his office. Might I ask if you have an appointment with him?"

"Um…" Mira started, but Lucy quickly interrupted her.

"We do not but General Porla is an old friend of my father's. Please tell him Lucy Heartfilia and her sister are here to see him," Lucy said, grasping Mira's arm to keep her from saying anything. Mira, unwilling to speak just in case, looked at Lucy incredulously; she never used her father's last name if she could help it. In fact, she had taken to using Natsu's last name since they had gotten engaged, although Mira told her over and over again it was bad luck to use her soon-to-be husband's last name over her own.

"Why little Lucy Heartfilia!" they all turned as they heard a voice approaching them. Lucy repressed a shudder while the kid looked at the man in barely concealed disgust and Mira just looked confused. "I haven't seen you since you were a teenager!"

"General Porla," Lucy said, nodding in his direction, "I came today to ask you some questions about some missing soldiers."

"Yes, yes, of course," the man said as he reached a hand up to brush against his thin mustache. "Lieutenant Conbolt please redirect any calls I receive while I meet with these two young ladies." The kid, this Lieutenant Conbolt nodded, at the general before he ushered Mira and Lucy into his office.

Lucy and Mira sat down in the uncomfortable chairs across from Porla's desk; they were like the chairs people have to sit in when they visit doctor's offices, all threadbare and lacking in cushioning. Lucy watched Porla sit down with an inner groan. If she didn't love Natsu as much as she did, she absolutely would not be here right now; Porla was a pig.

"So you mentioned something about missing soldiers?" he asked promptly as he looked at the women. He had set his elbows upon his desk, placing his fingers in a "tent" form as he leaned forward.

"Yes," Mira said first, reaching into her purse to pull out a picture of her, Laxus, Natsu, and Lucy. They had taken it on a hiking trip a few weeks before the boys had left on their mission. In the photo, Laxus had his arm wrapped protectively around Mira, his hand resting on her swollen belly, while Natsu had his arm slung casually around Lucy's shoulders, a bright smile on each of their faces. Both women had agreed that by showing the picture, Porla might be more sympathetic to their plight.

"And who might these young men be?" Porla asked as Mira handed him the photograph.

"My husband, Laxus Dreyar," Mira said softly, pointing him out in the photo.

"And my fiancé, Natsu Dragneel," Lucy said just as softly, gesturing towards her pink-haired honey.

"They look like fine young men," Porla said, an unknown undercurrent running through his voice. Lucy frantically tried to decipher what emotion he was hiding while looking appropriately devastated at the fact her fiancé and big brother figure were missing.

"They have been missing since January 7," Mira said quietly, glancing over at Lucy with a disturbed look in her eye. Apparently Lucy wasn't the only one who noticed Porla hiding something in his tone.

"And you expect me to do something about that?" he asked as he ran his finger over Lucy's figure in the picture. Both women repressed a shudder at his obvious fascination with the much younger girl while Mira snatched the photo back from him.

"Yes," Lucy told him, her voice firm and cold, "We do."

"What do you suggest then, Miss Heartfilia?" Oh how Lucy wanted to smack the smirk off the man's face. He had been a sleazeball since the moment her father had introduced them when she was fourteen years old. She had caught him staring at her more times than she could count and it still turned her stomach. Mira watched them carefully out of the corner of her eye, sensing there was some kind of history between the two. She wished she had known, though, that Lucy had a problem with this guy before they came here. She never would have asked Lucy to come here and talk to this man if she had known.

"I want you to find them and rescue them," Lucy said through gritted teeth. She could FEEL Porla's eyes on her chest despite the modest top she was wearing; it made her skin crawl. How the man had stayed in his position for so long, she would never know. Surely the women who worked with him must have filed sexual harassment claims against him? She knew how he looked at women; it was exactly how he was looking at her now. Nothing had seemed to change in the ten years since she had last seen the man.

"Now I know your father and I had a business relationship, Miss Heartfilia, but that was in the past. Your father has long since passed and I cannot just relegate men and resources to what may very well be a fruitless search. Surely, after this long, your men are dead," Porla said viciously. His eyes twinkled evilly as he seemed to relish the pain that crossed both women's faces before they had schooled their features into emotionless masks.

Lucy was practically shaking with rage at Porla's words. How dare he! Natsu and Laxus were his brothers-in-arms! They may work with a different unit and overall commander, but they still worked for the same government, the same branch of the military. How dare he imply that both men were not only dead, but that sending out a party to search for them was a waste of resources! Wasn't bringing every man home important to him? Didn't it matter to him that there were two very good men, who had given their entire adult lives to serve their country, missing out there?

Mira was hardly faring any better than Lucy as she felt anger rise up in her. She wished she could punch Porla in his stupid face for his comments. The lives of soldiers and their families were not a nuisance, like he was implying. They were not unworthy of being brought home. If anything, because they were soldiers who were just trying to serve and protect, they deserved much more than just being brought home! Mira schooled herself as she felt Lucy do the same in the seat beside her; they still needed Porla, even if sitting in his presence was making them physically ill.

"They aren't dead," Lucy finally said after what seemed like hours of trying to school their emotions. "They're still out there and they need our help."

"Like I said, though, Miss Heartfilia," Porla said dismissively, waving his hand, "I cannot possibly justify a rescue mission for only two men."

Rage like they had never felt before shot through them at Porla's final words. They knew they weren't going to get any more out of him. Lucy and Mira both felt it in their hearts; he wouldn't help them, no matter what they said. Without another word, both women stood stiffly and walked out of the room. Mira was the first to leave through the door, but as Lucy was about to slam the door shut behind them, Porla called out to her.

Damning her curiosity, Lucy turned back around as Mira raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, "Yes, General?"

"I would possibly reconsider if you were to…grant me a few small favors," the disgusting man said, his expression predatory.

Lucy stiffened as she realized what Porla was asking. She would rather drink a gallon of bleach than do anything he was insinuating, and she was going to tell him too. No longer was she the little girl she had been who had to endure his repulsive advances to please her father. She was Lucy Dragneel, or close enough to it. She was Natsu Dragneel's one and only, and just the thought of him filled her with strength and resolve. Even if it took her the rest of her life and all of her money and time and the strength of her very body, she would work to find him. But she would not tarnish the thought of her beloved by even entertaining the idea of "favoring" Porla.

"You can go to hell, Jose Porla," she snarled as she whirled back around and slammed the door shut, relishing the shocked expression that had crossed his face. Mira just smiled at her as she stalked past her and the lieutenant at his desk.

"Mrs. Dreyar! Mrs. Dragneel!" they heard the man shout at them as they rushed down the hallway, trying to put as much distance between them and Porla as they could. Surprised, both women turned to look at the man as he had chased them down. He grinned widely at them as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Even though the 'General'," he started off with, rolling his eyes at his superior's rank, "isn't helping you, that doesn't mean no one is. I know for a fact there are people out there looking for Natsu and Laxus."

Mira and Lucy stared at Lieutenant Conbolt in utter shock. People were looking for them? Really, truly out there looking for them? They weren't just sitting on their asses hoping they rescued themselves from whatever situation they found themselves in?

"Who?" Mira asked, her voice barely audible, as her eyes shined with unshed tears of hope.

"Um I can't actually tell you that," the boy said, looking down somewhat ashamed. "It's not my call; it's classified. But I just couldn't let you leave thinking that no one cared. Natsu and Laxus are like my heroes; I've looked up to them ever since I joined."

"What's your name?" Lucy asked, remembering Natsu talking about a new cadet a couple of years back. The cadet had practically hero worshipped Natsu and worked hard to prove himself to Natsu.

"Oh uh it's Romeo. Romeo Conbolt," he said with a perfect salute and a blinding smile. Lucy smiled in response, recalling all of the times Natsu had told her about helping the kid out. He was only five years younger than them, making him barely twenty-one now, but Natsu had treated Romeo like he was Natsu's precious younger brother.

"Thank you, Romeo," Mira said, gratefulness seeping out of her every pore, "Thank you so much. It means the world to me, to us, to know that we aren't the only ones who are working to bring them home."

Romeo blushed, embarrassed, at the implication behind Mira's words as he responded, "We are doing our best, ma'am. If anyone can bring them home, though, I know it's the team working to find them."

"Romeo," Lucy began, suddenly curious, "If the information is classified, how do you know? Aren't you only a lieutenant?"

All blood seemed to drain from Romeo's face at Lucy's question, and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck again as he watched them eye him.

"I have to go now!" he suddenly blurted out before turning on his heel and running back towards his desk. The two women watched him go with amusement. Apparently he had given away much more than he was supposed to, but they wouldn't tell anyone. Just getting the information that SOMEONE was out there looking for Natsu and Laxus was enough for now.

Wanting to exit the building before anyone else could come after them, namely Porla, both women swiftly made their way back through the hallways. Mira had left Mavis with Lisanna, and she was already itching to get back to her baby, while Lucy knew Capricorn was still waiting for them.

"What do we do now?" Mira asked as they exited the building. Already Lucy was gesturing towards the car and Capricorn for him to pull it around to the front.

"I don't know," Lucy said with a sigh as Capricorn began to pull out of his parking space. "Do we just wait and see? Do we go back and try and beat a confession out of Romeo?"

Mira laughed at that, imagining the two of them ganging up on the poor boy; he wouldn't even know what hit him. Lucy smiled softly at Mira's happiness. It really was so good to be able to smile and laugh again, now that they had a plan. Even if it wasn't a very GOOD plan, at least they had made the decision to keep moving forward. Nothing would ever happen if they kept doing what they had been doing, which was nothing, for the past several months.

As Lucy began to say something to Mira, she held up a finger as she took her phone out of her pocket.

"Hm," she said, looking at the caller ID, "I don't know this number. Should I answer it?"

Lucy shrugged as she replied, "Well it's up to you. I don't generally answer unknown numbers, but it could be Lisanna, couldn't it? Didn't you say she was borrowing Bickslow's phone while they waited on her new one to come in?"

"Well yeah…" Mira said quietly, "But I thought I had Bickslow's number in my phone…"

"Just answer it Mira!" Lucy said with a laugh. Mira smiled as she slid her finger to answer the call.

"Hello?"

* * *

This sucked. Bad. Laxus had been awake, and able to move around, now for about an hour, but Jellal was telling him he couldn't come with them to finish the rescue mission. Natsu had been kept in his cell, waiting for that ice queen, Ultear, to be able to rescue him for as long as he had been unconscious. Laxus didn't trust the woman to get his brother out safe.

"Jellal," Laxus growled as he, once again, tried to sit up fully. Despite his best efforts, though, Cobra just pushed him back down with a gleeful smile. Bastard…

"Laxus you're in no condition to come with us. You'll only get in the way," Jellal said exasperatedly, running a hand through his shock of blue hair. He had been telling the blonde the same thing for almost the ENTIRE hour he had been fully conscious. Ultear was going to have a hard enough time getting Natsu out without anyone noticing and raising the alarm; she was going to need all the help they could provide and Laxus would only slow them down.

"He's right," Gajeel grunted from across the room; he had been avoiding Laxus like the plague as soon as he woke up. Laxus was sure it was because he was worried that, once he regained his strength, Laxus was going to kick his ass. The idea certainly had merit…

"Natsu's under MY command, damn it! He might as well be my brother," Laxus yelled, thoroughly irritated, "I should be the one to rescue him. He won't go with that bimbo if he still thinks I'm dead! I need to be there to get the idiot to cooperate!"

Jellal just sighed again and shook his head. Why did Laxus have to be so damn stubborn? Was it because he had married Mira? Did marrying strong women suddenly make you more pigheaded? Jellal quickly shook his head, turning away from those thoughts as he realized he would then be becoming more pigheaded since marrying Erza…not a pleasant thought to the rational, calm man.

"You're not going so quit your bitching," Cobra finally spoke up, sensing his leader's thorough frustration. "You're going to stay here with Meredy and keep her out of trouble."

"Who the hell is Meredy?" Laxus snarled, wondering WHY so many people were involved in this rescue mission. Seriously…his team wouldn't need half the people that Jellal seemed to have at his beck and call. Apparently besides Gajeel and Cobra there was Ultear, his friend Freed (working as a translator, miles away from their location), some kid back in the States that Natsu had mentored, and another guy he had never met in his life working as a mole. If it was HIS team, all he would really need were Gray and Natsu. Possibly Sting and Rogue but mostly just Natsu and Gray; they were like a well-oiled machine when they weren't fighting and Laxus was keeping them in line.

"I'm Meredy," he heard a soft, young voice answer. He turned his head to the side in an attempt to see who was talking and felt his draw drop at the sight of the girl. She was a teenager, maybe fifteen or sixteen, had deep green eyes, and had long, bright pink hair, even brighter than Natsu's.

"Why the hell is there a kid involved in this rescue mission?!" Laxus roared, questioning Jellal's sanity, "Don't you have enough people involved without dragging some kid into it?!" Jellal's eye twitched at that, making his entire tattoo shift. If Laxus wasn't so furious there was a KID there, he probably would have laughed.

"Meredy isn't helping with the rescue mission!" Jellal said, aghast at his friend's thoughts and more than a little miffed that Laxus would think he would involve a kid in his mission, "She's PART of the rescue mission, but she isn't helping with it! We're here to get her out too."

"Oh," was all Laxus said as Meredy arched a delicate eyebrow at him. Gajeel and Cobra both snickered in the background but said nothing as Laxus and Meredy had a staring showdown. She seemed to be measuring him up, and Laxus wasn't quite sure if he was passing or failing her examination as her eyes remained calculating and distant.

"My mother is helping your friend get out as we speak," Meredy said as she finished her examination of him; he still wondered where he fell on her "grading" scale.

"Your mother is the ice queen?" Laxus said without thinking. Both Gajeel and Cobra burst out laughing at that while Meredy finally managed to EMOTE, looking irritated with his description of her mother.

"She IS a bit of an ice queen isn't she?" Cobra said, snickering as he nudged Gajeel in the side.

"Yeah I've never met a woman who didn't express her emotions until I met Ultear," Gajeel replied while Meredy rolled her eyes at them like a typical teenager.

"Enough poking fun at our ally," Jellal told them all sternly, glaring at Laxus. He just shrugged in response. They weren't HIS men that were making fun of their ally and it wasn't like he was trying to make fun of Ultear; she just struck him as a very emotionless woman.

"Anyway… Laxus you're going to be staying here with Meredy. You two are going to work to keep one another out of trouble while we go extract Natsu and Ultear. Once we have them with us, we will…take care of the facility you all were in and make our way back here to take you home," Jellal explained, glossing over the part where Laxus knew they were going to destroy the facility. He wondered what explosives they were going to use.

"We will see you both when we get back," Jellal said as he motioned for the other two men to head out of the room. "Meredy I expect you to take care of Laxus as he isn't at his best right now. And Laxus I expect YOU to be the adult and not antagonize Meredy about her mother," he finished, looking at them both sternly, like he was their dad. Both Laxus and Meredy rolled their eyes but murmured their agreement. It still irked Laxus that he was being left behind, and being left behind with a TEENAGER of all people…

Once Jellal, Gajeel, and Cobra had exited the room, Laxus grunted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was tired of lying on the floor.

"Want some help to the couch?" Meredy asked him in an emotionless tone. He just stared at her. If he needed the help of a teenager to get to the couch…

"No," he said as he used a colossal amount of effort to stand. His body wavered as he stood there, and Meredy had inched closer, looking like she was ready if he were to stumble, but he just waved her off as he made his way, excruciatingly slowly, to the couch about ten feet from where he had lain. _Bastards couldn't have even put me on the couch_ … he thought irritably.

Once he had reached his destination, he practically collapsed upon the sofa, his breathing slightly labored. Quietly Laxus cursed whatever drug they had given him to simulate his death; it was still wreaking some serious havoc upon his system. With a quick glance at him, Meredy pranced over and plopped herself down on the couch next to him.

"It's ridiculously uncomfortable but it's probably better than the floor," she murmured as she turned to face him, folding her legs underneath her as she turned. "Mom didn't really care to get anything fancier since we aren't staying."

"So your mom's Ultear huh?" Laxus asked, leaning his head back against the cushions, thoroughly agreeing with Meredy's assessment that it really WASN'T comfortable. She just nodded in response before she smiled at him, shocking him. He hadn't realized the girl could do anything more than look irritated or emotionless. But when she smiled…well it didn't surprise him that Jellal and his men wanted him to protect her; she just seemed so sweet and innocent when she smiled at him like that. Briefly, he hoped his daughter would be that sweet and innocent for the rest of her life or at least the rest of his life because he didn't know how he would deal with a devious teenager… He shuddered as he thought about what Mira had been like and sincerely hoped his daughter wouldn't be like that. That or he was dead by the time Mavis reached puberty.

"I heard you have a wife," Meredy said companionably as she stared at Laxus somewhat hungrily. He raised an eyebrow at her, curious to her reaction, but just nodded. "I've always wanted a dad. I know I had one, but I don't really remember him. Or my real mom. All I know is Ultear; she found me and has been raising me every since."

"She seems like she's trying to do right by you," Laxus said rather hesitantly. He didn't know anything about Ultear, really, but since she was helping Jellal, she couldn't be all bad right?

"Yeah. Mom had been lost for a bit but I think she's found her way now," Meredy agreed. "So…I heard your wife's nickname is 'The Demon'. Want to tell me what that's about? We're going to be here for a while…"

Laxus laughed briefly at that. Yeah his Mira had been known as "The Demon" back in high school. Shrugging as he realized he might as well find a way for them to pass the time, Laxus began, "Well it all started when she was a freshman in high school and there was this girl named Erza Scarlet in her biology class…"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Longest chapter yet, I think! Hopefully it lives up to the expectation of the others. I am pretty sure the next chapter is going to be the absolute last chapter of this story, barring a potential epilogue; I'm still not sure if I'm going to write one or not. As always, thank you to everyone who has viewed, reviewed, favorited, or followed my story. It feels absolutely amazing to see so many people have viewed my very first fan fiction. Lastly, I own nothing. :) Not Fairy Tail or Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood.


	6. Chapter 6

Counting on Forever Chapter 6

Ultear could FEEL her nerves fraying. Natsu might have been a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he was also the kind of guy who wanted to get into confrontations with EVERY SINGLE PERSON he could. Already she had prevented him from getting into seven fights by shoving him into an abandoned room or down a different hallway when they neared a guard. She was really beginning to regret not letting Gajeel take this part of the rescue mission… Why, oh why, couldn't she have been the one to cart Laxus's "dead" body off? Gajeel's job had to have been ten thousand times easier than hers…

"Natsu," Ultear hissed as he, once again, tried to go down a hallway that WASN'T the one she knew was safe. Her eye was twitching; she knew it because she could feel it and it had been twitching for the past five minutes. He turned back to her with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck and stumbled back to her side.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking at the floor rather than at her, "I am just really curious about the place I've been held for the past six months." Ultear felt her eye twitch even more as he announced that. Instead of being curious about where he's been, shouldn't he be curious about how to LEAVE?

"Let's just go before someone finds us," she hissed in response as he began staring at her face with a look of utter fascination. She knew he was staring at her eye and it made her want to smack him. Hard. Even when he stared at her like Meredy first had when she had found the girl…curse those puppy dog eyes; she was a feared member, and former leader, of the Seven Kin of Purgatory! Puppy dog eyes should not be swaying her!

"But I want to fight someone," Natsu whined as she grabbed his wrist and hauled him down the hallway while chanting in her head, _I will not be swayed, I will not be swayed!_

"I've been confined to that cell for six MONTHS…" Natsu continued with his whining. Ultear couldn't help herself; her hand moved from his wrist to reach out and smack the back of his head on its own; take THAT puppy dog eyes! His good eye widened in shock before he laughed out loud.

"You need to stop complaining!" Ultear hissed as she leaned around a corner to check and see if the coast was clear. Fortunately for them, it was. _Where are all the guards…_ she thought apprehensively as they continued on down yet another hallway. "We are lucky we haven't really run into anyone yet! And you are in no condition to fight, idiot! You look like you took on Bigfoot, the Lochness Monster, and a t-rex…" she looked at him then, only to see him grinning like a fool at the thought of fighting some legendary monsters. With a serious sense of vindictiveness, Ultear finished, "…and lost."

She had to repress the chuckle at Natsu's crestfallen expression after she told him he looked like he lost a fight with three legendary beasts. It would only serve to frustrate him, which would then by extension frustrate her even more. At least her eye had stopped twitching…

"I bet I don't look as bad as all that," Natsu said self-assuredly not moments later. Ultear stopped in her tracks at that and looked at him in disbelief. Natsu, being somewhat absorbed in his own thoughts, continued on for a few more steps before he realized Ultear was no longer beside him. Turning back to her, he stared at her dumbfounded expression and asked, "What?"

Unable to comprehend his overall cheery attitude…and lack of sense…she just shook her head and continued on. She had walked only a few steps this time when she realized Natsu wasn't beside her. With an irritated huff, she turned back to him, only to see him with his head cocked to the side and a look of utter concentration on his face.

"Natsu?" she asked softly, wondering what had brought that look upon his face. In an instant, Natsu was beside her again, covering her mouth with his hand as he strained his ears to pick up any and every little sound. Breathing shallowly, because Natsu really, really stank, Ultear thought about whether or not she should stomp on his foot to get him to release his grip on her face.

"Sh," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "There are footsteps coming this way, and fast. We need to get out of sight."

Ultear's eyes widened at that and she felt an icy tendril of fear make its way up her back. They couldn't have discovered Natsu missing so quickly, could they? Sensing Natsu's sense of urgency, Ultear grabbed his hand and raced down the new hallway, eyeing each and every door they passed by. They weren't in a great place to hide in a room, seeing as all of the rooms down this hallway were used to conduct business meetings and the like. Ultear cursed herself in her head for leading them this way. It WAS the shortest way to get out from where they had kept Natsu and to the rendezvous point with Jellal and the rest of the team, but now she was reevaluating the risk level they had by going this direction. Her heart clenched in worry as she considered she may have taken them the worst possible way.

Ultear, finally able to hear the approaching footsteps, skidded to a halt in front of one of the very last doors in the hallway before it branched off. She knew they were close to the end, close to their escape. If they continued to the left, they would only have to cross through two more hallways and cross the great room before they reached the rendezvous point. If they went right, they would only head further into the complex, eventually hitting the library where she had placed a few…surprises for her former comrades. Those "surprises" were going to level the entire complex, burying all of her former evil and Grimoire Heart with it. But she couldn't set it off yet. Not until Natsu at the very least was out. Meredy was already out…

"Natsu," Ultear said, rushing through her words as her level of panic increased at the sound of the footsteps; they had to be only a few hallways away by now! "Natsu I need you to head the rest of the way out on your own. I'll be right behind you but I have to take care of something first."

"No," Natsu said immediately, stubbornly shaking his head and crossing his arms, continually astounding Ultear at the things he could do despite the state of his body, "I said I was going to get you out, get you home to your kid. I don't go back on my promises."

Ultear couldn't stop the small smile that crossed her face. Natsu was such a good man, an honorable man. His Lucy was definitely a lucky girl…but that was beside the point. He had to do what she asked because she had to hold everyone up. She had told Meredy she would make up for her past mistakes…she had promised Jellal she would get Natsu out. She couldn't back out now, but she also knew they wouldn't be able to both get out if she continued with him now; her "comrades" would catch them far too quickly so she had to hold them up somehow.

"Natsu I said I would be right behind you," she told him, lying through her teeth. She knew what she was going to do, but he didn't need to know what that was. He would surely try to stop her. "Now what YOU'RE going to do is turn left up there, at the fork. Then you're going to continue down the hallway until you reach a three way split; take the middle path. You're going to keep going down that hallway until you enter a huge atrium. Once you reach the atrium you're almost home free. You just have to cross it and go through the brown door. Outside of the brown door will be Jellal and his team; they'll take you to Laxus."

Natsu was nodding as he listened to her directions, repeating it softly as she told him each step so he would remember. It was when she reached the end that he seemed to realize something.

"You mean they'll take us both to Laxus. And then out of here," it wasn't a question and Ultear had never seen the man look so fierce, not even when he had pinned her to the wall earlier. Drawing upon her years of coldness and emotionlessness, she nodded as she looked him in the eye.

"I'll be right behind you," she reiterated before shoving him in the right direction. He would get out now. He would be okay. He would take care of Meredy. _Meredy…_ she thought with an inner sob. She couldn't break down now though; she had work to do.

"I'm going to make sure you go home," Natsu said, his voice resounding with his resolve, as he turned back to look at her. Ultear just stared at him for a moment before she nodded and then turned to walk calmly back down the hallway, the way they came from. "I'm going to bring you home, Ultear," Natsu promised as he raced down the hallway she had shoved him towards, silently repeating the directions she had given him to make sure he remembered.

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about all of this," Jellal muttered as he, Cobra, and Gajeel stood outside of a brown door in the middle of the forest. They knew this was the location Ultear was going to emerge from with Natsu, it being a somewhat secret entrance to the complex they had infiltrated, but Jellal couldn't shake his sense of foreboding.

"Everything will be fine, boss," Cobra said with a yawn, standing from his squatting position. Gajeel grunted from his position leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

"No," Jellal said, shaking his head underneath his cloak. All of them were wearing the dark cloaks to blend in not only with the forest but also with any Grimoire Heart members that might be wandering the perimeter; not that members usually did so. All of the members of the dark organization were "grounded" at the moment, called back to headquarters based upon Hades' orders. Something big was about to go down, which is why this rescue mission was so crucial to complete now. If Jellal didn't get Laxus, Natsu, Ultear, and Meredy out now, he truly believed they wouldn't have another opportunity to do so. It didn't hurt, either, that they were going to be taking down the whole organization at the same time. It just made their mission that much more imperative; they couldn't afford to be unsuccessful.

"Why are you worrying?" Gajeel asked in a deep growl. "Ultear and Natsu should already have reached the atrium, the great room, by now and be feet away from us. They'll be here soon. Stop getting your panties in a knot."

Jellal's eye twitched at Gajeel's assessment, but he knew the timeline just as well as they did. Ultear had given them a breakdown of how long it would take her to get Natsu out, and had sent them a signal when he had finally woken up. From that point on, the countdown had started and they had raced over from their safe house. Jellal had felt apprehensive leaving Laxus and Meredy there alone, but he knew, even if it were to be attacked, Laxus would protect their location despite his weakened state. The man was like a one-man wrecking crew; even in this weak state he could probably take on all of Grimoire Heart and win. He just wouldn't ever tell the older man that; Jellal would never live down leaving him behind if he let Laxus know how confident he was in his abilities.

Each man stiffened as they suddenly heard racing footsteps coming towards the door. Gajeel stood fully, getting into a ready position while Cobra and Jellal did the same; they would be prepared even though they knew it should only be Ultear and Natsu. Being unprepared could prove…disastrous for them.

"JELLAL!" they heard a roar before the brown door came bursting open, startling all of them. Cobra, Gajeel, and Jellal all stared, wide-eyed, at the startling appearance of Natsu Dragneel. He looked like hell. His hair was wild and matted, there was blood on his chest, and he looked like he had been used as a punching bag. Internally Gajeel winced as he realized that was exactly what had happened to the pink-haired man.

"What is it, Natsu?" Jellal asked, staring in confusion at Natsu's wide-eyed stare. "Where is Ultear?"

"She went back. People were following us and she went back," Natsu somehow shouted while still sounding breathless. His chest was heaving and his legs were visibly trembling as he leaned his hands on his thighs. "We have to get her." All three of the other men shared alarmed looks. Why would Ultear have gone back? They could have handled a few guards and got everyone out.

"Natsu," Jellal said sternly, knowing the younger man would need a firm hand if he were ever to listen, "Natsu I need you to stay here with Cobra while Gajeel and I go get Ultear."

"WHAT!" both Natsu and Cobra yelled.

"BUT BOSS!" Cobra shouted, enraged at being left behind, AGAIN.

"LIKE HELL I'M STAYING BEHIND!" Natsu growled, getting up in Jellal's face. Jellal raised an eyebrow questioningly at Natsu's very obvious invasion of his personal space but refrained from speaking, even as Gajeel laughed his unique laugh in the background about being chosen over Cobra yet again.

"I promised Ultear I would get her out," Natsu snarled at Jellal, "And that's exactly what I'm going to do. She has a kid. I told her I'd bring her back to her kid. I promised."

"So that's what we're going to do," they heard a deep voice respond. Incredulously, all four men turned to the newcomer, jaws opening in shock before Natsu let out a whoop of excitement.

"YEAH!" Natsu shouted, pumping his fist in the air, "With Laxus here we can FINALLY kick some ass!"

Jellal just stood there, staring at the two men he was supposed to be RESCUING, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. His jaw felt like it was going to drop off when he saw Meredy step out from behind Laxus with a devious smirk.

Laxus and Natsu embraced as the others just stood and watched. Natsu had thought Laxus was dead and now here was proof that he was okay; he couldn't feel more relieved. Laxus grinned devilishly as he released Natsu. As the younger man had said, it was time to kick some ass.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Jellal finally roared, gesturing wildly at Meredy and Laxus while Gajeel and Cobra just stood there looking completely dumbfounded. "YOU…YOU…HOW THE HELL DOES ERZA PUT UP WITH YOU IDIOTS!"

Natsu and Laxus shared a look before they both shrugged. Hell if they knew. They weren't even sure how they had survived their friendship with Erza before she had calmed down when she finally married Jellal. Hm…they should probably thank Jellal sometime for taming the shrew that had been Erza Scarlet.

"So…" Natsu finally said, gesturing back towards the brown door, "We should probably go rescue Ultear now."

"Where the hell is my mom?" Meredy asked, her voice somewhat robotic and kind of terrifying. All of the men, grown men, shuddered at her tone and the expression on her face. Ultear must have been teaching her kid her tricks…

"We're going to go get her now, kid," Cobra said with a smirk as he moved towards the door, reaching for the handle. "Keep your panties on."

"COBRA!" Jellal hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Watch your language!" Cobra just rolled his eyes at the tattooed man. Like he could actual talk after his outburst…

"We're wasting time," Laxus pointed out, rubbing the scruff on his face. "If we want to rescue your chick, we need to get going." Jellal's eye twitched. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was no way Laxus and Natsu were up to a rescue mission AND they had a fifteen-year-old girl to worry about. How the hell was Laxus's team as successful as they were if these were the type of antics they got up to?

"You're right," Jellal said, scrubbing a hand over his face in exasperation, trying to will his eye to stop twitching. "But you three," he said dangerously, pointing to Natsu, Laxus, and Meredy, "will be staying here or so help me I will not hesitate to tell Erza!"

Natsu and Laxus visibly shuddered at that while Meredy raised an eyebrow. From what Laxus had told her of the red-haired woman, she wouldn't harm the young girl.

"And Ultear," Jellal finished with a nod to Meredy, realizing his threat of sic'ing his wife on the young girl wouldn't work in keeping her put. Meredy stiffened at that before she glared at him, almost as if she was daring him to try. He glared right back, despite being fifteen years the girl's senior; this was one battle he would absolutely not be losing.

"Fine," Meredy huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a rather petulant roll of her eyes. Jellal felt his eye twitch yet again and thanked God Simon was a boy; he didn't know if he could handle a teenage girl in his household.

"And you two?" Jellal said, his tone dangerous while Gajeel and Cobra looked on in amusement. Who knew their boss could lose it so thoroughly?

"We'll stay with the kid," Laxus said gruffly, placing a protective hand on Meredy's shoulder while she stared at him with an unreadable expression. Natsu looked irritated that he wasn't going to be in the fight, but he nodded in response to Laxus's statement.

"Good," Jellal said as he nodded to Gajeel and Cobra as they all headed through the brown door.

As soon as the three men were inside the compound, they heard multiple voices talking. Some were shouting while others were more muffled. Gajeel led them stealthily through the atrium and then down a long hallway, following the sound of the voices. When they were near enough to hear the words that were being said, they peeked around the corner, only to find Ultear standing in front of a horde of about fifteen men. Many were shouting at her while she was responding in a calm and contained manner. She looked like a queen as she stared them down and stood her ground despite what words they threw at her. Jellal and his team shuddered at her strength in the face of these odds; no wonder she had been the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory.

"I have already told you there was no one in the atrium or the library," Ultear said coolly, arching an eyebrow at the man who was in her face. Gajeel recognized him as Zancrow, another member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. "I was just there myself. I did not see the Natsu Dragneel Master Hades wants."

"I don't believe you," Zancrow hissed while a few men behind him started shouting again to let them through. "You've been acting strangely for months and I don't think you follow Master like you did before. And where is Meredy? The brat is always glued to your side."

"She is in her quarters, where I told her to be," Ultear responded stiffly. "She still does as she is told by her leader. Unlike some people I could think of." A few of the men in the crowd looked from Ultear to Zancrow at that, like they were watching a ping pong game. Gajeel stifled a snort. Of all the people to realize Ultear was possibly a double agent, he would not have picked Zancrow.

"I have research to do in the library," Ultear said as the men trying to get around her started looking uncomfortable, "as per Master's request. So if you would excuse me, I am going to go do it." With that Ultear turned, head held high and a regal expression on her face. She began walking towards Jellal and his team and her eyes widened minutely in panic as she saw them when she rounded the corner. Despite being caught unaware, though, she kept walking calmly, to not give anything away to the crowd that was still muttering in the hallway behind them.

Jellal fell into step with Ultear while Gajeel and Cobra followed behind them, listening intently to make sure no one else was coming. Who knew if the men really bought Ultear's lie after all…

"FOLLOW HER!" they heard Zancrow finally shout, followed by the sound of thunderous footsteps, once they had turned the corner. For the space of a heartbeat, the four looked at one another before they began booking it towards the atrium and the brown door they knew would lead them out of this hellhole.

"Will the blast take them all out, even if they're close to the atrium?" Cobra asked as he ran after his teammates, voicing the worry all of them had as they rushed towards Laxus, Natsu, and Meredy.

"It should," Jellal said grimly, wishing, not for the first time, that at least LAXUS had listened and stayed behind at the safe house. Now he, Natsu, and Meredy might be caught up in the shockwaves…

"I'm going to have to detonate as soon as we hit the door," Ultear panted, pumping her arms to try and get herself to move even faster.

"Be ready," Gajeel grunted rather grimly as they slammed into the brown door, breaking it open as Ultear shrieked, "TAKE COVER!" even as her thumb pressed into the button of what looked like a garage door opener.

With a thunderous booming sound, the library of the compound went up in flames, followed quickly by other booms as other parts of the compound were consumed in the fire. The seven had been knocked onto their behinds as the ground shook from the force of the explosions. The seven watched amazed as the fire and smoke rose up into the sky at an astonishing rate, heat blasting into them as they struggled to move away. Shockwaves continued to shake the ground from the blasts even as they moved, Laxus struggling to bring Meredy to her feet to move away, Gajeel had outright grabbed Ultear and slung her across his shoulders in a fireman's hold, and the others just made do.

As they moved through the forest, hoping they hadn't caused too serious of a forest fire, the sense of relief and elation was palpable. They had gotten Natsu and Laxus out. Ultear and Meredy were free to live their own lives without the dark stain of Grimoire Heart hanging over them. Jellal was finally going to see his wife and his two-year-old son after eight long months away. Cobra was going to be able to head back to his long time girlfriend, Kinana, and Gajeel was finally, maybe, going to get up enough courage to go visit the tiny blue-haired bookshop owner Jellal knew.

Laxus and Natsu shared a grin as they both helped Meredy through the forest. They were beaten, bruised, underweight, smelly, scruffy, and bloody, but they had survived. They had survived and they were heading home. Their girls wouldn't have to worry anymore. Laxus was going to see Mira and their baby girl and Natsu was going to see Lucy. They were heading home, where they would be spending their forevers with the loves of their lives and surrounded by their families. They had been to hell these past six months and experienced things no person should have to go through, but they had survived. They had made it through and they were going home. For forever.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I have to apologize for taking for flipping ever to update. My sister got married, and that was crazy in a good way, but man did it take up so much of my time. Seriously weddings are time consuming… But anyway! YAY THE FINAL CHAPTER! I hope it was well worth the wait and everyone enjoyed it. This was a super fun ride, writing my first fanfiction. I am so glad to have finished it and to have received the response I have. I am seriously amazed so many people followed, favorited, and reviewed. I have seen stories that haven't had any reviews and are a few years old, so for mine to get 22 in the month it's been up is just amazing. Thank you all so much to anyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. Last but not least, I own nothing. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Counting on Forever Epilogue

They had made it out of the forest and to their rendezvous point without incident, for which they were all very grateful, before boarding the waiting aircraft. After a seriously stressful few months, Jellal, Laxus, Natsu, Gajeel, Cobra, Ultear, and Meredy were very glad to be heading home. Jellal was ready to see his wife and son, Laxus was ready to see his wife and daughter, Natsu was ready to see his girl as was Cobra, Gajeel was just glad to be done with this stupid mission, and Ultear and Meredy were ready for a fresh start in a new city. However, this did not stop Laxus from getting indignant with the men who rescued him.

"What the hell do you mean I can't use your cell phone!" Laxus growled at Cobra while said man leaned back in his chair on the plane.

"We're on a plane, genius," Cobra sneered, highly enjoying mocking Laxus since he had been able to do NOTHING for their entire stupid mission. "You can't use transmitting devices on a plane."

"I want to talk to my WIFE, you asshat!" Laxus snarled, lunging towards Cobra before Jellal reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt with a sigh. In any other circumstance, Jellal would not have been able to stop Laxus since the man outweighed him by a good twenty pounds, probably more, but since he had been held captive…well now Jellal could haul Laxus back rather easily.

"Look, Laxus," Jellal said tiredly as Ultear ran her fingers through Meredy's hair and they both watched amused, "We really are not supposed to use transmitting devices while in the air, but I get where you're coming from." Jellal watched as Cobra's eyes widened and Natsu grinned as he edged closer to Gajeel, who also had his phone out, "So, Cobra, give Laxus your damn phone. He hasn't talked to his wife in six months and I know for a fact you talked to Kinana last night."

With a grateful smile at Jellal, Laxus took the cell phone from Cobra's hands while the maroon-haired man spluttered and Natsu took Gajeel's. They had not talked to their girls in over six months; it was past time they got to hear their voices, regardless of the disgruntled look on their comrades' faces. With slightly trembling hands, Laxus walked to the back of the plane while Natsu walked to the front. Taking a deep breath, Laxus dialed the number for Mira's phone.

He listened to the ring as the call was connecting with trepidation. He had not heard her voice in far too long… What would she have to say? Would she be angry with him? He had done his best to come back to her long before now…he just had not been able to manage it. Laxus sucked in a huge breath when he heard the line connect.

"Hello?" he heard her voice come over the line and he almost fell to his knees in relief. Hearing her voice now was like hearing the voice of an angel. It meant everything was finally, finally, over. He was actually on his way home; he wasn't still trapped in that damn cell with no way of knowing if he was going to live or die. He wasn't going to wake up any minute to find Gajeel ready to pound him into the sand, something he would have to pay the bastard back for later…

"Hello?" he heard Mira's voice ask again, puzzled, "Is anyone there?" He couldn't speak, though, not past the lump of emotion in his throat. How he had imagined hearing her voice over and over again…but even all of his imagining couldn't compare to the real thing. God knew how much he had missed her soothing voice.

"I'm hanging up now," he heard her say then, a slight note of irritation coming over the line. Panicking, he struggled to speak past the relief and overwhelming joy currently choking him. He couldn't think though! He didn't know what to say! What do you say to your wife after six months away? Six months of time where she probably thought you were dead? He could practically hear her finger moving towards the phone to end the call when suddenly he just said the same thing he always says after the completion of a mission…

"I'm almost home baby."

* * *

Natsu was practically giddy as he gleefully stole the phone from Gajeel's hand. He was going to talk to Luce! He was finally going to hear his beautiful fiancé's voice after so long without it! Luce had the best voice; not that he was biased or anything. Mira's voice was nice and Juvia's was…weird and Erza's was just plain scary but his Luce had the best voice, even when she was shrieking at him in rage. It put a grin on his face just thinking of her yelling at him he had missed her voice that much.

As he was putting in the number he had taken FOREVER to remember, his finger suddenly stilled over the phone. What if Lucy hadn't waited for him? He knew they had been dating for the better part of four years, but still…what if she couldn't handle knowing he had gone missing in action? What if she had found comfort in someone else? What if she thought he was dead so she just moved on? What if, what if, what if!

Natsu's finger hovered over the call button as doubts suddenly swarmed his mind. Lucy wouldn't do that though, right? Lucy loved him; she had told him so many times…AND she had agreed to marry him; that meant something didn't it? She wouldn't just move on without knowing if he was dead or not, right? Suddenly panicking, he hit the call button with an unnecessary amount of force and shoved the phone against his ear.

"Come on, come on," Natsu chanted irritably as the phone rang. She had to answer her phone! Lucy had to pick up because he had to know she still loved him! He still loved her, with all of his heart, and she was the only thing that had gotten him through those six months of hell. Without her, he didn't know how he could have kept going. He needed to hear her say she loved him!

Even before Lucy had fully answered the phone and said 'hello', Natsu was speaking, rushing through the words in his panic.

"LUCY!" he yelled into the phone, ignoring the looks he got from his comrades further back in the plane, "Luce tell me you still love me!"

"Oh my god," he heard her choke, and his heart sank. She hadn't waited. She was probably with some new guy right now… "You're alive. Oh my god Natsu you're alive!"

She was yelling and sobbing into the phone now and Natsu was utterly bewildered. Why did she sound so happy if she was with some new guy?

"Natsu I missed you so much! I never believed them when they said you had died. I never believed it. I worried but…Natsu you're okay! You're alive!" Natsu grinned as he listened to her. She wouldn't be saying those things if she was with another guy.

"So you still love me?" he asked, his grin widening, as he heard her take a moment to breathe.

"Of course I still love you!" she shrieked, her voice going up another octave, making Natsu wince but smile just the same. "Why would you even think I didn't?"

Natsu shrugged in response to her question before realizing that she couldn't see him, "I dunno."

Suddenly the line went almost deathly quiet, and Natsu grew concerned. Did Lucy pass out or something?

"Uh…Lucy?" he asked carefully. He definitely wasn't expecting the explosion that happened as her voice came screaming through the line.

"YOU COLOSSAL MORON! I WAS SO FUCKING WORRIED! I THOUGHT YOU HAD DIED AND I WOULD NEVER GET TO SEE YOU AGAIN AND YOU WORRIED ME SO MUCH I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME FOR SIX MONTHS WITH NO WORD! YOU BETTER BELIEVE YOUR ASS IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE WHEN YOU GET HOME!" Natsu cringed at Lucy's threats, even as he heard her crying coming through the line.

"I missed you too," Natsu said quietly when Lucy finally took a breath to bring more oxygen into her system. He could almost hear her rage leave her in a gush as she sniffled into the phone.

"I was so worried," she admitted in a whisper and he wished he was already home and could draw her into his arms. He would have done almost anything to be able to reassure her in that moment, to be able to hold her and to be able to kiss her and tell her he would never leave her again.

"I'll be home soon," was all he said in response. He would spend the rest of his life making this up to her if he had to, even though it really wasn't his fault. He would never give her reason to worry like that again.

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Laxus asked as he stood next to Natsu, who was fidgeting with the scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Me?" Natsu asked, his voice cracking up an octave, "Of course not!"

Laxus laughed along with Jellal and Gray, who were standing with them at the front of the church.

"You're nervous, Flame Brain," Gray said jokingly, reaching around Laxus to clap Natsu on the shoulder. "It's okay to be nervous. It is your wedding day, after all."

Both Jellal and Laxus smiled in response as Natsu's grin widened. He was finally getting married to Lucy. It had taken over four years, six months of that time missing, and three months back home to get to this point, but he was here and he was ready, even if he was a bit nervous.

He could remember his and Lucy's reunion like it had happened yesterday, even though it had now been three months since he, Laxus, and Jellal had first come home…

" _Stop your incessant bouncing, Salamander!" Gajeel growled as Natsu bounced on the balls of his feet while waiting for the plane to land. Jellal just smiled good-naturedly while Ultear and Meredy both laughed; Cobra looked utterly bored but gave his two cents as well._

" _You know we're on a plane, right? A plane that's about to land? And when you're on a plane, that's going to land, you should sit in your seat?" Cobra pointed out. Natsu didn't listen to him, though, and stayed standing. Laxus eyed Natsu from his position in the first seat of the plane, closest to the door. Natsu may be standing almost directly in front of the door, but he was bound to fall once the plane fully landed, and then Laxus would be the first out of the plane and the first to see his wife. Not that it was a competition or anything…_

" _I don't care," Natsu growled as the pilot announced their descent into Magnolia. He was more than ready for this. His phone call with Lucy had been entirely too short for his liking and he was ready to just SEE HER ALREADY!_

" _Natsu you really should sit down," Jellal stated, gesturing to the seat beside Laxus. Natsu just snarled as he braced himself against the door as they could feel the plane's altitude drop even more. The blue-haired man shook his head while Meredy giggled at Natsu's antics. She found his and Laxus's devotion to their girls heart warming and something to hope for in her future, but she wouldn't tell anyone so. She was a TEENAGER after all; she had some pride._

 _Natsu wordlessly snarled at them all again. He was far too agitated to sit down. How Laxus was doing it, he had no idea, because he felt like his heart might just explode out of his chest he was so overwhelmingly excited._

 _With a roll of his eyes, Laxus leaned forward and jerked Natsu down into the seat beside him. If the damn fool wouldn't listen to Jellal's very sound advice, then Laxus was going to take the initiative and MAKE him. As his commanding officer, it was his right anyway._

" _Natsu just stop," Laxus said tiredly as Natsu struggled against the iron grip his commander had on his arm. All of the excitement and traipsing through the woods, though, really did a number on his remaining strength and prevented Natsu from escaping. Hm…maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stand in front of the plane's door when he couldn't even get Laxus off of him…_

 _With a stern glare at his commander, because he couldn't just give up THAT easily, Natsu buckled himself into his seat as the wheels finally touched the ground, jolting them all. Begrudgingly, Natsu admitted his friends had been right and was glad he had not stayed standing. He would have been hurt even more if he had stayed standing, he was sure. And then Lucy would be angry. And Lucy angry was like…the MOST terrifying thing in the world. Even more terrifying than stealing Erza's cake or disregarding Mira's matchmaking skills._

" _So your girls will be meeting us at the airport?" Ultear asked curiously as the plane slowly made its way down the runway to the private airfield. Jellal and his team had such perks to their job…_

" _Yeah!" Natsu said ecstatically. "Lucy is the most beautiful girl in the world and I think you'll really like her! She's really nice and sweet even though she has this crazy temper and an amazing kick… And she smells nice all the time, like coconut and strawberries and chocolate! And she is the best cook ever and she is a super awesome writer and the best friend I've ever had," Ultear and Meredy stared at Natsu as his eyes took on a faraway, dreamy look. They had never seen someone look like that while talking about their girls; not even Jellal who they knew was head over heels for his wife, Erza. It made Ultear feel wistful, having never experienced a love like that, and Meredy excited for her future; if she could get a man half as devoted as any of the others on the plane with her, she would know she found a good match._

 _Suddenly, or so it seemed since everyone had been focused on Natsu, the plane ground to a halt. Immediately Natsu and Laxus unbuckled their seat belts and launched themselves out of their chairs, tapping their feet impatiently on the ground as they waited for the door to open. Cobra rolled his eyes at their antics as he and Gajeel stayed in their seats. Ultear and Meredy smiled at the two lovesick men, then laughed at the anxious look on their leader, Jellal's face, as well. With a sheepish grin, Jellal unbuckled and rushed to stand at the door with his comrades; he had not seen Erza or Simon in over eight months and he desperately missed them._

" _NATSU!"_

" _LAXUS!"_

 _Both men froze as they heard their girls' calling out for them as the pilot opened the door, having somehow managed to squeeze between them to do so. Their girls sounded like they were sobbing for joy as they called out their names and they felt like their hearts had stopped._

" _JELLAL!" they heard Erza shout, followed by a "Dada!" from Simon. Natsu and Laxus broke from their frozen state to turn and look at Jellal, who looked like he had been pierced through the heart, in a good way, at his son's cry. Then all three men rushed down the stairs, Natsu somehow having managed to be first, but Laxus had no eyes for the pink-haired man, and neither did Jellal. They both descended the stairs, their eyes searching out for their wives and children, and their breath almost stopped as they found them._

 _Jellal couldn't hold back his grin as he caught sight of Erza, holding Simon's hand as he stood on finally steady feet beside her, gripping the teddy bear Jellal had bought him when he was first born. As he stared at Simon, he couldn't help the tears the pricked the back of his eyes as he saw the shirt his son was wearing. It said, "My daddy is my hero". As Jellal rushed to his wife and son, Simon giggled and held his hands out to him, taking a few steps to meet his father. Jellal swept Simon up into his arms and twirled him around, loving the sound of his son's laughter, as Erza walked forward with the largest grin he had ever seen on her face._

" _Thank you, Jellal," she whispered as she embraced both her son and her husband, "Thank you so damn much for what you have done for our family." Jellal finally felt a few tears fall as he heard his wife's heartfelt words._

" _Anything for you," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair while keeping a firm grip on their child. "Anything for you…"_

 _Laxus had faltered at the bottom of the stairs of the plane. He had rushed to get off, had been so excited to see Mira and finally, finally meet Mavis, but once he caught sight of them…he found himself unable to move. A vice like grip had taken residence around his heart and he had faltered. He could see her there, his beautiful Mira, and he could see a pink-wrapped bundle in her arms, and yet he couldn't make his way to them. His feet might as well have been sunk in the concrete where he stood._

 _As if understanding Laxus's predicament, Mira made her way towards him with a brilliant smile on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks. She walked right up to him, stopping barely a foot from him as she drank in the sight of him. She could see he had lost weight, could see how beaten he was, and yet she had never seen him look more handsome._

" _Would you like to meet our daughter, Laxus?" she whispered as she turned Mavis towards her father, thankful that their beautiful little girl was fully awake, revealing his eyes in her face. She heard Laxus's breath catch as his eyes slowly moved down from Mira's face to look at Mavis._

" _She's so…so beautiful," he was finally able to choke out, his hands aching to reach out and hold her. "Can…can I…?" Laxus asked, his voice rough with emotion, as he reached out to take her from her mother. With a hiccupping laugh, Mira nodded and carefully handed Mavis over to her father, her eyes full of love for the man who had made his way back to her._

" _She's so tiny," Laxus whispered as he cradled Mavis in his arms. His little one cooed and giggled as she looked up at her father's face, reaching out with her tiny fist to pat at the scruff on his face. A single tear made its way from Laxus's eye down his cheek and into his rather impressive beard as he watched Mavis. "She's perfect," he told Mira as he looked back up to his wife with a grin._

 _Mira held her hands to her chest as she watched the very first father-daughter moment between Mavis and her husband. Her tears continued to roll uncheck down her cheeks and she couldn't help but fall even more in love with Laxus as she watched the wonder and joy cross his face as he took in the sight of their daughter in his arms. This moment with him…with THEM…it was everything she had been waiting for and so much more._

 _With a huge grin, Laxus shifted Mavis into his left arm to reach out and pull Mira to him with his right, wrapping his arm around her as he placed a gentle kiss to her temple. In this moment, he finally had everything he had ever wanted. He had his wife, he had their daughter, he was alive, his family was alive and reunited with their loved ones…it was the moment he had been waiting for._

" _LUCE!" Natsu screamed as he raced towards Lucy as fast as his beat up body could handle. She had a huge grin across her face even as tears streamed from her eyes as she raced to meet him. They met in the middle in a passionate embrace, Natsu cupping Lucy's face as she wrapped her hands in the shirt Jellal had given him, pulling him tighter to her as their lips met._

 _Lucy refused to let her eyes close even as they kissed, something she thought she would never do. But she couldn't help herself; after having missed him for so long, and having been unsure if he lived, she just couldn't let him out of her sight now, and it seemed Natsu felt the same way as he stared deeply into her eyes with his one good eye._

 _God how he had missed this woman! he thought as he kissed her, stroking his hands over her cheeks, across her forehead, down her nose and chin, to cup the back of her neck, deepening the kiss even as both of them finally let their eyes flutter shut. This moment…this moment is what had gotten him through six months of hell. He knew, knew without a doubt, that this moment would be coming, that he would see his Lucy again, and he had imagined it hundreds, no thousands, of times. And yet…none of those imaginings could live up to this moment as he was wrapped up in her presence. None of them could compare to the truth of having her in his arms, to feeling her hands on his chest, to feeling her lips moving against his own. There was nothing in the world like it; there was no one in the world like HER. And this moment with HER…it was perfect._

Natsu grinned wider as he recalled the reunion with his Lucy, and then with the rest of his family a few days after. He and Lucy had spent almost an entire week holed up in their house to let him heal and to just have some time with one another after so long apart. It had been one of the best weeks of their lives and Natsu wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. And now, now he was finally going to marry his best friend and the love of his life.

With a sense of happy trepidation, Natsu looked at the people around him as the bridal march began and his friends, his family, all stood from their seats. He turned slightly to take in the look of Laxus, Gray, and Jellal beside him, all of them looking ecstatic, and then across the stage to look at Levy, Mira, Juvia, and Erza standing as Lucy's bridesmaids. Each of the girls had looks of pure joy on their faces and were sniffling and trying to hide their joyful tears.

Natsu heard the gasp as the people around him took in the sight of his bride. Unable to look at her yet, Natsu took a deep breath and looked at the ground before slowly lifting his eyes to take in the sight of her advancing, Capricorn escorting her, and felt his breath catch in his throat. _She looks so beautiful_ …he thought, drinking in the sight of her, her now short hair pulled back to stay out of her face and her gown fitting her body like a glove. He had no other words as Capricorn took her hand and placed it in his, and the two were unable to look away from one another, even as the pastor started the ceremony.

It all passed in a blur and suddenly they were exchanging rings and repeating the vows after the pastor and the man was announcing that Natsu and Lucy were now joined as one, as husband and wife, now and forever. With a grin, Natsu pushed the birdcage veil from Lucy's face. He could finally kiss her. Finally, finally, finally kiss his WIFE.

Cupping her face in his hands with a gentleness most had never expected from Natsu, he leaned in, his breath fanning across her lips as he whispered, "Forever," and proceeded to kiss her with all of the love and passion his heart contained. A small tear made its way out of Lucy's closed eyes as she wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and repeated in her head, _Forever…_

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** YAY! First completed fanfiction! I hope everyone who read it enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I also want to take a minute to thank every single person who has reviewed, favorited, and followed _Counting on Forever_ ; you guys are the absolute best! :) Lastly, I own nothing.


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